


Nights with You

by Urbanrebel6



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2018-12-11 08:57:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 29,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11711100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Urbanrebel6/pseuds/Urbanrebel6
Summary: The story where Tobin breaks her own rule and takes an interest in the stranger in her favorite coffee shop.





	1. Morning Glory

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So, I thought I’d try my hand at this writing thing again. This story is influenced by the song “Nights with You” by MØ. In full disclosure, I haven’t really planned this story out. I don’t have an outline or anything so please bear with me. Also let me know if this seems like that would be interesting and if I should continue because if not, I probably won’t. Anywho I hope you enjoy.

Biting back the expletive on the tip of her tongue Tobin slowly entered her favorite café, Morning Glory. It was packed again and she was to blame. A few weeks ago, Tobin had posted about it on her blog “Coffee Enthusiast.” The minute she did it, Tobin knew it was a mistake. The once peaceful and quiet café was now always loud and overflowing with people, and today was no different.

Glancing towards the front counter Tobin made eye contact with her roommate and best friend, Allie. The look and desperation on her face had Tobin quickly maneuvering through the crowd to the counter.  Slipping behind the counter bar, Tobin dropped her backpack and asked, “how can I help?”

Blowing a grateful kiss Allie handed Tobin two paper cups before turning to face another customer. For the next twenty minutes they worked in a silent familiar rhythm. Taking advantage of a lull in customers, Tobin attempted to clean up and was rising out the frothing pitcher when Allie’s arms tightly wrapped around her waist. “Thank you, thank you, Harry! ‘ish was cray.”

“No prob.” Tobin chuckled, “and sorry, I thought I would be here earlier.”

“I’m just glad you showed up when you did, I was dying! If this keeps up, we’re gonna have to add another person to this shift. I mean, I don’t really want to, you know how I feel about sharing my tips but it’s just too much for one person.”

Tobin nodded as she leaned against the counter. It wasn’t the first time Allie had said this and Tobin knew Allie well enough to hear Allie’s unspoken request and as much as Tobin enjoyed working with Allie, she just couldn’t take on another shift right now.

Choosing her words carefully, Tobin said softly, “Harry, you know I would if I could, but things are… busy right now…and…I’m already behind on everything…”

“I know…” Allie sighed, slumping next to Tobin. “We just work so well together”. Tobin smiled fondly at Allie’s crestfallen expression. It was true, they did work well together. They had the highest sale numbers, but Tobin suspected it was because she didn’t mind doing more of the grunt work and left the socializing to Allie. Allie was better at that than she was. Rolling her eyes, Tobin offered, “how about this? I promise I’ll come in as early as I can and help out, okay? I’ll even let you keep all the tips.”

“Deal,” Allie grinned dancing a little, sometimes she was the easiest person to please.

“Great. Think you can handle everything because I really need to go and do some work…” Tobin said picking her backpack off the floor.

“Sure, but…” Allie grimaced, “about that…” which caused Tobin’s eyes to immediately fly to the front nook. Tobin’s backpack slid down her arm in defeat as she groaned at the sight of someone sitting in her spot by the front window.

This why Tobin really regretted blogging about Morning Glory. Uncharacteristically for her, she was territorial over the table by the front window. It was silly, she knew it, but she’d become attached to that one spot in particular. She’d been studying there for months with no problems but lately it was always taken. Tobin had asked Allie to try and save the table for her, a task that was proving to be impossible and Tobin hated it, “Dude!” 

“I know, I know,” Allie interrupted, “I tried Harry, I promise but things were cray from the second I got here.”

“Can’t you put a reserved sign down?”

From behind the espresso machine Allie raised an eyebrow and shrugged, “sure.” Tobin started to grin until Allie finished, “right after you get Boss Lady to okay it.”

Rolling her eyes, Tobin stuck her tongue out because Allie knew there was no way Tobin would ask Christie; the owner and her occasional boss that question.

“Anywho, why are you complaining? You’re here almost every day fueling your ridiculous caffeine addiction for free.”

“Um…first of all, I don’t have an addiction, caffeine is good for you,” Ignoring Allie’s skeptical look, Tobin continue, “and it’s not free I do work here you know.”

“Yeah, like once a week,” Allie responded sarcastically.

“If memory serves me right, I was just working, in fact, I think I was helping you.”

“Thank you so much, Harry!” Allie plastered a magnanimous smile on her face, “Now take your _hard-earned_ Americano” handing Tobin a steaming mug, “and motioning towards the front with her chin “and take the other table before someone grabs it.”

“Thanks,” Tobin called over her shoulder as she moved quickly to the front of the café to the table across from her spot. In theory, the tables were identical, they were both situated near the wide front window and provided plenty of natural light. Tobin knew it shouldn’t matter which table she sat at, but there was something about the view from her spot that she’d fallen in love with. Another reason Tobin loved the location was that it was slightly isolated from the rest of the café.

Tobin was in the café almost every day, just like Allie had pointed out, but unlike her, Tobin rarely interacted with anyone. Of course, she recognized the regulars and nodded at them in greeting but she generally kept to herself. It wasn’t that she was anti-social, rather Tobin thought of all cafes and coffee shops as havens. This was the place where she could collect her thoughts, surrounded by the comforting smell of roasted beans and the welcoming mummer of voices in the background. It was special to her and Tobin assumed that the café was special to everyone in their own ways, so out of respect, she kept to herself. Today shouldn’t have been any different but as hard as Tobin tried she couldn’t help glancing at the table.

A girl with long dark hair and what looked like tear tracks was sitting with her head down. Tobin looked away, feeling guilty for having intrude on her private moment. This Tobin thought, was why respecting people’s privacy was so important. Everyone went to coffee shops for a different reason and you never knew what the reason was or what someone might be going through. Tobin knew from personal experience that sometimes a person just need the ability to have a private moment in an anonymous space.

Moving to the other table, Tobin gently placed her mug and saucer on the table. Despite what she knew was right, Tobin slide into the chair across from the girl so she was sitting facing her. Tobin knew she should face away but for some reason she didn’t understand, she didn’t want to.

Something about the girl called out to  Tobin. It was more than the long hair and tear tracks that hadn’t been brushed away. Tobin felt for the stranger and just wanted her to be okay. So quietly Tobin sat down and placed her laptop in front of her but her eyes automatically went back to the girl.

The stranger seemed lost and out of place. she stared unseeingly out the window one hand clutching her phone as if it was her only lifeline. She exuded an aura of overwhelming and all-encompassing sadness and for whatever reason Tobin hated seeing her that way.

A part of Tobin wanted to cheer her up, a realization that startled her.  Tobin never wanted to cheer up a stranger before and the thought alone unsettled her.

Opening her laptop Tobin stole one last glance before putting her headphones on. She found her assignment for her Neurophysiologic Evaluation and Treatment class and then she was lost in her own world.

* * *

 

Simultaneously, a chair scraped loudly against the wood floor and someone bumped against her table. Startled Tobin glanced up from her work in time to see an angry boy stalk away. Confused Tobin watched him walk to the exit. A deep sigh brought Tobin’s attention back to the girl, she was surprised to find her still sitting there.

The stranger’s face was downcast, her eyebrows drawn in and she appeared unhappier than before if that was even possible. For a few seconds, Tobin’s gaze shifted back and forth between the retreating boy and the sitting girl. Guessing that the boy was probably the girl’s boyfriend Tobin didn’t understand the sense of disappointment that overcame her. She didn’t know the girl, it shouldn’t matter to her if she did or didn’t have someone but if Tobin was being honest, she wasn’t really surprised, the girl was beautiful.

With another deep sigh, the girl slowly stood up. From underneath her eye lashes Tobin watched the girl gather her belongings, even her mug which Tobin appreciated. Walking past Tobin, her head still down the girl said in a gentle and quiet voice, “sorry.”

Surprised and not completely sure she heard the girl correctly Tobin continued to follow the girl around the café. Her mouth twitched with the beginning of a smile when she dropped off her coffee mug at the front counter. She exchanged a few words with Allie before turning towards the exit.

Of course, the ass stood impatiently motioning for her to hurry up. When he was satisfied that she was close enough, he blindly reached to push the front door open. Tobin cringed as he almost crashed into two incoming students. Without a second glance or word of apology, he pushed past them and never once looked back to make sure the girl was following. Tobin noted with some worry that the girl wasn’t paying attention. The door was starting to swing shut and Tobin feared it was going to hit her in the face. Luckily, the girl’s hand shot out at the last moment and caught it right before it would have hit her. The girl paused, staring at her hand on the glass of the door. It was as if for the first time, she realized where she was and glanced back towards the front before quickly leaving the café.

Tobin’s eyes lingered on the door even after the girl disappeared. Unsure of what to make of the scene, Tobin shook her head and made eye contact with Allie, who must have seen that last part because she gave Tobin a bemused look and shrugged one shoulder. Tobin returned the shrug before focusing on her laptop again.

* * *

 

A week later Morning Glory was still unreasonably busy. Tobin had hoped that everything would go back to normal but it didn’t look like that would happen anytime soon. She needed to talk to Christie about posting on her blog again.

Christie loved all the new business the post had produced and was worried another would draw too much business away. Tobin understood Christie’s apprehension, but they could barely keep up with the high demands and worse of all, the café was starting to lose regular customers.

Tobin thought about it for a while and came up with the perfect solution. There were a few coffee shops across town that she’d heard about from a few of her classmates. Tobin figured she’d get Allie to come with her and they could check them out over the next couple of weekends. She would post about her favorite and figured they were far away that it wouldn’t have a drastic effect on the patronage at Morning Glory.

Navigating her way towards the counter Tobin scanned the café. Unconsciously she smiled when her eyes caught sight of long dark brown hair bent over a book and slender fingers cupping a mug. Instead of bothering Mana who was busy, Tobin moved to the espresso machine to make her own latte.

Despite herself, Tobin focused on her spot. Her initial annoyance at having someone at her disappeared when the girl was there and had morphed into a kind of curiosity. Tobin couldn’t help but wonder about her. Who was she? What was she like? Was she nice? And the question that Tobin wondered about the most, why she’d been so upset that day. It was a curiosity Tobin couldn’t shake and one she honestly wasn’t sure she wanted to. It had been a while since something other than school and work had grabbed her attention and even if the admiration was only from afar, it still felt good in a way. It felt good to know that part of her hadn’t disappeared completely.

As if sensing someone was watching, the girl started to look up. Not wanting to be caught, Tobin focused intently on her latte forcing her errant thoughts away. Turning so her back was to the front, Tobin leaned against the bar and inhaled the aroma wafting from her cup, hoping to hide the blush she could feel coloring her cheeks.  Tentatively she sipped her latte, smiling as she listened to Mana trying to decipher an order from a girl who clearly frequent Starbucks. Not that there was anything wrong with Starbucks, it just wasn’t Morning Glory. There were no tall and grandes here.

“Can you?” Mana handed Tobin a cup without turning from the customer. Working the espresso machine Tobin thought this was one of her favorite parts of the job and the fact that Christie never charged her for her coffee because no matter what she told Allie, Tobin knew she couldn’t afford her caffeine addiction otherwise.

Tobin handed the cup back to Mana, “thanks, Tobs.”

“No prob, Man,” Tobin grinned and Mana affectionately rolled her eyes at the old joke. “Sorry about your spot, but you know…” taking another order Mana indicated the line with her chin.

“No worries,” Tobin said because she didn’t care. Tobin already accepted the fact that if the girl was sitting there she didn’t mind. It wasn’t something she wanted to say out loud because the truth of that statement still surprised her, and she knew it would surprise Mana and likely lead to questions she didn’t want to answer.

“Need help?” Tobin offered between sips.

“No, I’m good,  _busy_  but good.” Mana grinned as she reached under the counter and pulled out a pastry bag, “I might have failed on the spot _but_ I did manage to save your favorite. It’s ridiculous how quickly we sell out of these now.”

“I know, Allie was complaining about it last night. She said she sells out hours before her shift is over.”

Mana laughed, “She only complains when she forgets to save herself one. Otherwise, I swear she enjoys telling people no.” Laughing Tobin thought Mana was probably right. Three more people walked up to the register and Mana waved Tobin away, “Go enjoy your cookie. I’ve got dranks to serve.”

“Thanks Man, I’ll catch up with you later. You working this weekend?”

“Yep, I’m sure I’ll see you.”

  
Tobin snuck a peak at the girl as she walked past her. She seemed at peace again and it made Tobin smile. Tobin had only seen the girl a couple of times over the last week but she noticed an improvement in her mood. Tobin wondered if that was because the boy hadn’t made another appearance. Tobin hadn’t forgotten that little scene, especially how resigned and hurt the girl had been, it still bothered Tobin more than she’d like to admit.

Pushing aside her thoughts Tobin sat facing the girl. Using her laptop as a shield Tobin smiled at the slight concentration crease in the girl’s forehead. Remember all the work she had to do, Tobin pushed everything out of her mind and tried to focus.

Suddenly, Tobin jerked her head up and blinked in confusion. Out of habit she glanced towards the counter to see Mana picking up a stainless-steel pitcher from the floor. The noise must have woken her up. Tobin shook her head, silently laughing at herself for dozing off. Maybe it was time for another cup of coffee.

Checking the time on her phone Tobin saw that forty minutes had passed since she first sat down. She guessed she had dozed off for at least ten minutes. Sitting up straight she closed her eyes stretching her arms above her head. That’s when she heard the smooth baritone ask, “why are we here?”

Dropping her arms, Tobin’s eyes snapped open landing on the back of a boy’s head sitting across from the girl. Somehow, Tobin had missed the boy’s arrival, but instantly knew he wasn’t the same boy from last week. “How come we didn’t meet at our normal spot?”

“I like it here,” came the same gentle voice Tobin remembered.

“Really?” the boy asked in apparent disbelief.

“Yes, really.”

“Hmmm…since when?”

“Since now,” the voice chuckled.

“How did you even find this place? It’s completely out of the way.”

“Not really. I mean it’s close to my job and they have great coffee. You know I wanted to try some place new. That coffee blog, the one I keep telling you to read?” the girl waited until the boy nodded his head, “well it gave this place a really good review  _and_  bonus it has the cutest name.” There was another pause before the girl slowly spoke again, “ _Morning Glory_ ”.

The boy chuckled, “Oh, I didn't realize that was the actual name. It’s cute…but I just want to point out that this place is definitely not close to my job.”

Tobin smirked when the girl rolled her eyes, “You work like ten minutes away from me. So, I know it  _is_  close.”

“Maybe, but not my apartment. But you know what is close to my apartment? Our regular spot, which happens to also serve coffee, and pretty good coffee I must say.

  
Tobin’s head was down but she imagined the girl rolling her eyes when she spoke again, “this coffee is better and we go there all the time. Aren’t you bored with it? Because I am. Don’t you want to try something different? Someplace new?”

If the girl was looking for a new cafe, Morning Glory was a perfect. There was a majesty to it that Tobin hoped people recognized. Tobin knew it wasn’t fancy like newer cafes but the rustic and cozy décor was always welcoming and comforting. Tobin hoped the girl found the place to be as wonderful as she did.

The boy paused before asking cautiously, his tone gentle, “What’s really going on, Chris?”

“Nothing,” came the response a little too quickly to be true. Blowing out a long sigh he remained silent, but it was an uncomfortable silence and even Tobin could feel the weight of it.

After a few seconds the girl hesitantly cleared her throat and said, “the blog mentioned that it was a good place to take a break from the trendier cafes and I just…I just wanted something different. It’s also supposed to have amazing cookies.”

“Cookies?” The unnamed boy repeated amused, “I should have known.”

The girl laughed “Yeah, you know sweets are one of my downfalls.”

“I do. So, are they heavenly? Are they the stuff dreams are made of?”  
“I don’t know yet.” Tobin couldn’t help but smile when the girl’s mouth turned down in a disappointed frown, “by the time I get here they’re sold out. The blog did warn that would happen and to be careful because they're addictive.”

“Did the blog say what the cookies were laced with? Because I’m not sure you can handle another addiction, Chris.”

“I don’t have any addictions,” she laughed.

“Uh huh, says the girl who follows a coffee blog and made up excuses to come here.”

“Don't give me that look. I just happen to enjoy really good coffee. What’s wrong with that? And it’s not just the coffee, this place is  _different.”_  The girl indicated the room with her hands, “Look it’s just so inviting, it’s homey without being pretentious.”

“Okay fine,” the boy laughed, “you really like it here. I believe you.” He inspected the café and in resignation said, “So this is your new spot, huh? I guess I’ll have to get used to it.”

“New? I don’t know if I’ve ever had a favorite. That was…” the girl shook her head unwilling to finish her sentence. Sitting up a little straighter as if trying to chase the thought away she half smiled and said, “I’ve only come a couple of times since last week, but who knows? Maybe it will become my favorite place.”

“Last week? Oh…I see,” the boy said in a way that told Tobin this was important.

“See what?”

“Why we’re here.”

“What does that mean?” she asked indignantly.  
“Nothing….it’s starting to make sense to me, that’s all.

“What makes sense?” the girl asked clearly a little frustrated.

“Why you wanted to find a new coffee shop.” Tobin noticed the gentle quality of his voice.

Sitting back in her seat the girl frowned down at the table, “What’s wrong with that?”  
“Nothing Chris…I’m just saying I get it…” The girl didn’t respond but she started down the boy until he spoke again. “I understand…that’s all”

“Understand what?” she asked cautiously still not meeting his eyes.

“I just understand why you would want to find a place of your own. Someplace across town and…someplace not associated with him.”  
The girl shifted in her chair before leaning forward. With on hand clasping her teacup she ran her finger over the top of the table, “yeah, maybe a part of me wants a place not associated with him, a place where I don’t have to worry about running into someone all the time. I wanted a welcoming place and I think I’ve found it.”

“I get it. There’s nothing wrong with that, nothing wrong with wanting a place not associate with him.”

“It’s not all about him,” She said defensively.

“Isn’t it? You’re honestly going to tell me you didn’t pick this place because you knew he’d hate it and it would piss him off?” The girl glared at her friend but didn’t say anything. “You can look at me like that all you want, but you know it’s true.”

“It wasn’t about him, I was…” she shook her head before continuing “but fine, maybe I did want to annoy him. He’s been….it doesn’t matter. But that wasn’t the only reason, I really did want to try this place,” she said earnestly.

“I believe you, I know you've been looking…to expand your horizons but I think you need to be honest about why that is.” The boy said conciliatorily. They were silent for a couple of minutes as the girl frowned down at the table and the boy studied her.

“You should break up with him,” he spat out suddenly.

Sighing heavily, Chris responded slowly and measuredly, “Nima, you're only saying that because you don't like him.”

“That’s not true.” Holding his hand up, in a stop gesture, he continued “It’s not, don’t give me that look. I like him enough. I just don't think he's right for you.”

“That’s because you won’t give him a chance. He’s not a bad guy.”

“Never said he was.”

“He really is a good person, you just need to get to know him?”

“Never said he wasn’t.”

“Then why won’t you give him a chance? Can’t you just do it for me?”

“Christen…” the boy said in an exasperated voice, “I’ve given him chances. We’re never going to be best friends and you have to accept that.”

“Ugh,” the girl responded.

Tobin couldn’t help but like him, if for no other reason than the fact that he didn’t seem impressed by Chris’ boyfriend, either.

“You could try?” she repeated.

“I have. Many times. Look, I’m nice to him, aren’t I? That will have to do for now.”

“I wish you two could get along. You can’t even say something nice about him.” Chris argued.  


“He’s punctual.”

“Punctual, Seriously?” Chris cut the air with her hand in exasperation. And for the first Tobin realized that at some point while listening to their exchange, Tobin had started to think of the girl by her name: Chris; as if they were actually friends.

“Yep, I bet Princes Charming was exactly on time even though you inconvenienced him by making him meet you across town.”

“That’s still the best you can come up with, punctuality?”

“Was he?”

“Yeah…” Chris grumbled, “but that’s not the point. You can’t think of a single nice thing to say about my boyfriend because you don’t like him.”

“Chris, why does it matter? Why do you care what I think about him? It only matters what you think about him and you’re not going to use me to make you feel better about your choices.”

“What does that mean? What choices? You’re my best friend, I care about what you think. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to want the two most important people in my life to get along. It would make things easier.”

“Easier for whom?” The boy asked archly

Chris sighed again, “You’re impossible. You know what I mean. You never want to come out with us and when you do…”

“You know why, Chris,” he interrupted

“Because you don’t like him, but if you gave him a chance, I really think you guys could be friends.”

“Chris…” Tobin couldn’t help but think this was a conversation they’d had before and often. The boy eventually asked, “What were you fighting about this time?”

“We weren’t fighting exactly, it’s just that…it doesn’t matter.”

“Why doesn’t it matter?”

“Because it wasn’t important.”

“You mean it wasn’t important to him.”

“It was silly, there was something that I wanted to do but…he couldn’t, so we didn’t go.”

There was a minute of uncomfortable silence before the boy asked in a neutral tone, “was it silly? Or he thought it was silly?”

“What’s the difference?”

“Christen…” the boy said in exasperation and Tobin knew that sigh. She used it once or twice herself when talking to Allie about her boyfriend. It was a sigh of exasperation and love. The sigh you used to keep yourself from saying something you knew your best friend didn’t really want to hear. “This is exactly why I don’t think he’s right for you. You’re not compatible. No wait, just listen. I’m not saying this to hurt you and you know I don’t like to talk about your relationship but if I’m being honest? He sucks for you. You need someone different, someone who won’t think what you want to do is trivial. Someone who is gentler, easy going, someone who isn’t solely focused on their career. Someone who appreciates you.”

“He appreciates me” but even to Tobin’s inexperienced ears, the girl’s voice lacked conviction. Tobin frowned because based on what little she had seen, Tobin couldn’t help but agree with Chris’s friend, she deserved better. That thought stopped her cold. Why was she even thinking like this? Why did she even care? Tobin knew the answers to the questions but she wasn’t ready to admit it.

“He’s a good person, he’s caring, and he’s my friend. It’s just been hard lately. Yes, he’s focused on his residency right now but I knew that when we got together. It’s temporary, his career is important to him and I understand that and support him. He’s always been honest with me, he told me what his priorities were for the next couple of years and yeah, maybe I wish he had more free time but…that’s just how it is right now.”

“And that’s exactly why you aren’t right for each other. Everything is centered around his schedule. When was the last time he supported you? Sure, I understand he’s dedicated, and he needs to be but you’re focused on your future also but you make time for the people and things that matter to you. He stresses you out, you stress him out and you both stress me. I know he’s your friend but he’s not your soul mate, Chris. You deserve someone better. That’s all I’m saying.”

“Oh, that’s all?” Christen replied bitterly, slouching into her seat, arms crossed. Tobin wasn’t sure if it was because she knew the two boys would never be friends or because her friend’s words rang true and she didn’t like it. Whatever the case, Tobin couldn’t help but wonder who Chris’ soul mate would be and what they would be like.

Again, unsettled by her thoughts, Tobin pulled her headphones on hoping it would help her focus. She tried, she really did but Tobin’s thoughts kept drifting back to Chris, no Christen. Tobin didn’t know what it was about her, but Tobin knew she would like her if they ever actually met. The first time Tobin had seen Christen she’d been hurt and instinctively Tobin had wanted to get to know her, cheer her up and maybe if she kept coming Tobin would get a chance.

For the second time that day, Tobin's head abruptly snapped up as she was startled awake. Something had bumped her chair. Dazed Tobin looked around until she made eye contact with Chri's friend. He smiled apologetically before saying something. “Huh?” Tobin grunted moving her headphone aside so she could hear better but he was already walking away.

Blinking a couple of times, Tobin decided that she need more coffee if she was going to get any work done. She’d already dozed off twice and had no doubts that without more caffeine, she would do it again. Looking towards the counter Tobin tried to get Mana’s attention so she could ask for another latte.

“Sorry about that,” Tobin jumped surprised by the soft voice at her side and suddenly found herself staring into warm green eyes, “again.” Tobin nodded her acknowledgment of the apology, too shocked to do anything else. Tobin watched Chris leave and the whole time all she could think was that Chris had said “again.” Tobin didn’t know what to make of that, other than the fact that Christen must have remembered her from last week and she didn't know what that meant but it felt good.


	2. Chin Up Buttercup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the Yankees won yesterday and Sam Kerr is magical so I thought I'd post. 
> 
> This song is heavily influenced by "Nights with You" by MØ. I would suggest listening to it. 
> 
> Also, editing was optional, as in non-existent. I do my best but please forgive all grammatical and most spelling mistakes.

Tobin glanced at her watch, her last session ran over and now she was late for work. This was why Tobin hated shifts during the week. Her client schedule was inconsistent, and she almost always ended up being late. Luckily, Mana worked before her and never cared that Tobin was always a few minutes late.

 

“Sorry, I’m late Man, but my patient…” Tobin said slipping behind the counter as Mana waved her off and pointed towards a waiving Allie. “No worries and Allie is here.”

 

 

“What are you doing here?” Tobin asked surprised. “You’re not scheduled, are you? Did I get my days wrong again?”

 

“Nice to see you too, Harry!” Allie said archly, “and no, I’m not and you didn’t. I was bored at home and since I’ve got nothing to do before practice, I thought I’d stop by to help out but …” she waved generally at the room, “my help wasn’t needed.”

 

Allie was right. Things had calmed down considerably, and the café was basically back to normal. Tobin thought the change had something to do with her last two blog post.

 

Tobin and Allie had begged Christie for weeks to reconsider the blog post. It wasn’t until a particularly hellish night, where they almost ran out of roasted coffee beans and a new barista quit, that Christie finally caved and agreed that Tobin should post to her blog again.

 

That night Christie pulled Tobin aside before she left and told her to post again but asked that the reviews be of coffee shops away from Morning Glory. Tobin had been more than happy to oblige. She picked two coffee shops across town in residential areas. A classmate had suggested one and Tobin had researched the other one. It had a strong Instagram presence. This is at least what Tobin told herself. It definitely had nothing to do with the fact that a green-eyed beauty hadn’t been in the café in a while. Nothing at all.

 

“So, not too busy then?” Tobin asked pouring a dark roast.

 

“Nope, it’s wonderful,” Mana sighed happily and pointed at the dessert case, “we still have cookies.” Tobin leaned against the counter, crossed her legs and rolled her head back and forth, “I hope it stays that way, I’m tired.”

 

“I can work if you want Harry” Allie offered.

 

“Yeah?” Tobin smiled up at Allie, “that would be awesome.” Allie grinned and Tobin narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Something about Allie’s expression was off, she was trying too hard to appear calm, she was hiding something. Tobin stared intently at her best friend for a minute before asking “are you sure?”

 

“Yeah, if you have work to do, I don’t mind.” Allie shrugged, “I’ll be here anyway since you’re my ride to practice…”

 

“If you’re sure?” Tobin said warily. Allie covered for her all the time but something told Tobin this offer wasn’t purely altruistic.

 

“No prob, Harry! I got you,” Allie continued to smile that smile.

 

“Ohhhkayy,” Tobin said still not fully trusting Allie. “I’ll go, then.”

 

Allie hugged Tobin tightly, a definite sign of trouble. Pulling back Tobin asked Allie in her serious tone, “What’ve you done?” Allie was a little too jovial and innocent looking for her liking.

 

“I haven’t done anything,” Allie answered

“Then why are you smiling like that?”

“Like what?”

“I know that smile, Harry. What’ve you done?”

“I promise, I haven’t done anything.” Allie held her hand up, “Girls scout honor.”

“Where you even a girl scout?” Mana asked

“Not the point,” Allie answered. Mana laughed and shook her head.

“Harry?” Tobin arched her eyebrows questioningly.

Allie sipped her coffee, “I told you, Harry, I’ve got nothing else to do.”

Tobin glanced towards Mana who shrugged her shoulder and shook her head. Rolling her eyes Tobin sighed, she knew Allie well enough to know that Allie wasn’t going to tell her anything and she’d just have to wait and see. Tobin just hoped that whatever Allie was planning wouldn’t affect her.

 

“Okay then, I guess I’ll go”

“Want something to take with you?” Mana pointed over her shoulder at the dessert case. “Yeah, I’ll take a croissant. Thanks” Tobin said.

“Oh,” Mana handed her a pastry bag, “I almost forgot, your friend is back.” Standing with her back to the front of the shop Tobin stared at Mana in confusion. “Friend?”

 

With her chin, Allie nodded towards the front unable to contain her grin. Perplexed Tobin stared at the two girls. If it had only been Allie, Tobin would have assumed it was a practical joke and wouldn’t have turned around but Mana wasn’t like that. So quickly Tobin peeked over her shoulder only to be surprised by what she saw.

 

Immediately Tobin stood taller, turning fully when she recognized the slender brunette figure. Since her two post, her spot had been pretty much empty, and she didn’t even bother to check when she came in, anymore. The corners of Tobin’s lips twitched, she’d secretly hoped Christen would return.

 

Allie smiled smugly at Tobin. Tobin hadn’t mentioned her slight infatuation to anyone, well not explicitly. She might have asked a couple of times if they’d seen the brunette sitting in her spot. Mana hadn’t thought twice about it but of course, Allie had picked up on it. Allie could read her like a book.

 

Tobin took a sip of her coffee, taking a minute to collect her thoughts. A thousand questions ran through her mind but she asked what she hoped was an innocuous question, “was she here yesterday?” Tobin had a full schedule the last two days and hadn’t stopped by the café at all.

 

“Nope, today’s the first time I’ve seen her in a while,” Allie said.

 

“I think I saw her sometime last week?” Mana said thoughtfully. “She wanted a cookie, but we were sold out.” Tobin nodded her head sneaking another peek at Christen. Watching Tobin intently, Allie tilt her head and asked casually, “what’s her name, again?”

 

“Christen” Tobin replied without thinking until she saw Allie’s self-righteous grin. Realizing her mistake too late Tobin mentally scolded herself for playing right into Allie’s hands. Tobin hadn’t mentioned Christen by name but Allie must have suspected that Tobin knew it.

 

Entertained, Mana watched the two best friends silently. Over the last year, Mana had become accustomed to their peculiar conversations. All Mana knew was that some girl had taken over Tobin’s spot. So jokingly Mana had started to call her Tobin’s friend. She hadn’t really thought anything of it but clearly, Allie knew something she didn’t and from the way, Tobin was acting there was definitely more to the story.

 

Ignoring Allie, who was going to make fun of her anyway, Tobin focused on Christen. The lines of Christen’s body were tense, she was folded in on herself, staring absently out the window. The scene was familiar but in an unwelcoming way.

 

The scene was identical to the first time Christen had been in Morning Glory. Tobin guessed she knew what or rather who had put that look on Chris’s face. It bothered Tobin to think of Chris with sullen tear filled eyes. Tobin wanted to see the bright smiling girl, who had laughed and talked happily with her friend.

 

“Which cookie did she want?” Tobin asked an idea forming in her mind.

 

“C.U.B” Mana responded. Tobin bit her lower lip, it seemed a little like fate because C.U.B was her favorite. Tobin moved to go to the desert case but Allie was already handing her a plate with a cookie on it, “here.”

 

Looking at Allie uncertainly Tobin slowly took the plate now realizing how horribly this could go. “Go, she’ll like it,” Allie smiled encouragingly.

 

Tobin breathed deeply, mentally preparing herself. It was simple really, she would drop the cookie off, nothing more, nothing less. Tobin slipped her backpack strap over her shoulder, “okay, thanks.”

 

Walking towards the front of the café, Tobin couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this nervous, wasn’t actually sure she’d ever been. What harm could come from bringing a person a cookie? She only meant it as a kind gesture, a way to cheer Christen up but with each step, Tobin became aware of the subtle but important underlying context.

 

Maybe Chris didn’t want a cookie. Maybe she simply wanted to be left alone. It was presumptuous on her part, Tobin realized to think she knew what would cheer Christen up. She didn’t even know her, hadn’t even spoken a word to her.

 

Tobin faltered midstride. Talk, she was going to have to talk with Chris. This was going to be a disaster Tobin thought. Quickly she considered all her options and decided to forge on. She’d already come this far plus she'd never hear the end of it from Allie. Maybe it would be a disaster but Tobin couldn’t, not do it, when she knew Chris was upset. The cookie was a small gesture but sometimes those were the most important ones.

 

Tobin stood awkwardly by Christen’s side, palm sweaty as she squeezed the strap of her backpack in fear. Tobin allowed herself to really look at Christen and noted that her suspicions were right, Chris was a beautiful girl. Her thick shiny hair was pulled back into a ponytail with soft waves cascading down her neck to the top of her shoulders. Christen stared out the window, her pen and notebook forgotten.

 

Tobin stood there for a few seconds hoping that Christen would sense her presence. When nothing happened, Tobin didn’t know what to do. She really hadn’t thought this through. Tobin contemplated putting the plate down and walking away but decided that was cowardly. Taking a deep breath she cleared her throat.

 

Christen jumped in her seat, her hand resting against her chest. She stared up at Tobin with wide scared eyes.

 

Taking a step back, Tobin said sheepishly, “sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

 

“It’s okay,” Christen relaxed and she surveyed the café as if she’d find an explanation for why a stranger was standing next to her table. When nothing was amiss Christen tentatively smiled up at Tobin, “uh, Hi?”

 

“Hi,” Tobin was relieved that Christen didn’t seem mad or annoyed by her interruption just curious.

 

Tobin’s heart rate slowly started to return to normal as her grip loosened on the strap and she smiled back. Christen raised her eyebrows in question and Tobin could feel heat slowly working its way up her neck.Great, she thought, she’d definitely been staring and Chris probably thought she was an idiot.

“Uh…here,” Tobin thrust the plate forward.

Christen stared at the plate in puzzlement which promoted Tobin to say, “Chin Up Buttercup.”

 

“Uh…Thanks?” Christen said slowly and took the plate. Tobin shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, she’d meant to introduce herself and offer the cookie as a gift but one look into those green eyes and she’d forgotten everything.

 

“The cookie,” Tobin explained, “it’s called Chin Up Buttercup. I just thought…”

 

“Oh…” Christen looked at the cookie and understood, “Oh, thank you. How’d you…” she glanced towards the counter, “right, you work here.” Tobin was busy planning her immediate exodus that she didn’t appreciate the fact that Christen knew she worked at the café.

 

“I thought you’d like…” words failing her Tobin gestured at the cookie. Convinced she looked like an idiot, Tobin was desperate to get away and quickly said, “I hope you like it.” Tobin turned on her heels to walk away as fast as she could without sprinting.

 

“Tobin?” Hearing her name, Tobin spun around so fast that she stumbled a little. Righting herself Tobin stared at Christen in incredulity.

 

“Would you…?” Christen motioned to the chair across from her. “It’s a really big cookie and I hear this is the best one.”

 

“It is…it’s my favorite” Tobin mumbled before asking, “how’d you know my name?” Tobin immediately regretted the question because Christen shifted uncomfortably in her chair and held up a napkin, “I thought…maybe…?”

 

Tobin gaped in horror. On the face of the napkin, in Allie’s handwriting was Tobin’s name and number written in blue ink. Cheeks flushed Tobin snapped her head towards the counter and glowered at Allie, who was conveniently facing away.

 

“I’m gonna fucking kill her,” Tobin swore under her breath. Trying to reign in her anger, Tobin ran a hand over her hair, pushing back the strays. Tobin didn’t know how to explain this Christen but she wanted to kill Allie. She knew she’d been up to something.

 

Tobin knew Allie meant well and probably should have known she’d try something like this. Allie often worried about her but Tobin didn’t think there was anything to worry about. So what if she hadn’t been out on a date or seen anyone in over a year or so, she was busy. Tobin just wished Allie would stop meddling in her life, it always ended disastrously, like now. The absolute last thing Tobin needed was Allie giving her number to random girls, much less, girls with boyfriends.

 

“Kill who?” bemused Christen laid the napkin back down on the table.

“A tall blonde?” Tobin suggested still glaring at Allie.

Christen followed Tobin’s vision and chuckled when she saw Allie waving at them. “I’m guessing she’s a friend of yours?”

 

“Was. Once upon a time” Tobin responded shooting Allie once last piercing look before facing Christen again. She was relieved to find Christen smiling.

 

“You didn’t know about this, did you?” Christen questioned pointing towards the napkin.

 

“No, I wouldn’t…” Tobin paused, unsure of how to tactfully explain she wasn’t the type to give her name and number to random girls, much less ones she’d never spoken to and had boyfriends. Allie must have assumed or hoped Christen was gay, especially since Tobin was infatuated with her. Tobin didn’t make a habit of lusting after what she couldn’t have and that definitely included, girls in relationships.

 

“But you are Tobin, right?” Christen asked.

“Yeah,” Tobin nodded in confirmation.

“It’s nice to meet you, Tobin,” Chris smiled.

“You too,” Tobin smiled back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, I just thought you’d enjoy the cookie and we had some…”

 

“Oh, thank you. That’s… really nice of you.” Christen pushed the plate towards the center of the coffee table. “Want to share it with me, I’m not that hungry…”

 

Tobin blew out a long breath and relaxed. She knew it was an awkward situation and she was eternally grateful to Christen for handling it so well. Some girls would have reacted differently. Tobin knew this for a fact. There was a reason Tobin didn’t just give her number out anymore, she made that mistake once and didn’t plan to do it again.

 

Tobin gestured towards the empty chair and slide in when Christen nodded her consent.

 

“You might want to try it first. Most people don’t want to share once they have.” Tobin advised.

“Let me guess, you’re an only child and you don’t like to share.” Christen teased. Pretending to be offended, Tobin said haughtily, “I’ll have you know, I have three siblings,” and with a grin Tobin admitted, “but I don’t like to share.”

 

“I was half right,” Christen laughed breaking off a piece of the cookie. Chewing, she closed her eyes in pleasure. “Ohmmmmgeee that’s so good.”

 

Tobin hid her smile with her cup. Seeing Christen so happy lifted Tobin’s spirit. It was a strange feeling; one Tobin hadn’t felt in a long time. She’d bring Christen a cookie every day if it would make her smile like that again, “I told you.”

 

“You did, and you were right.” Christen pulled the plate squarely in front of her, “I don’t want to share anymore.”

Falling back into her chair Tobin busted out laughing. They spent the next couple of minutes in silence. Tobin sipped her coffee and watched Christen devour her cookie. Tobin grinned when Christen frowned down at her empty plate.

 

“Thanks, for saving me some,” Tobin said with a straight face.

“It’s your fault,” Christen said with no hint of remorse. “You told me to try it first.”

 

Tobin chuckled into her cup and searched her mind for something to say. She didn’t have the aptitude for small talk, which was why she rarely interacted with anyone at the café. She was always tongue-tied and abruptly ended conversations. But this time was different, Tobin wanted to talk to Christen, she wanted to ask question and wanted to get to know her more.

 

“You here often, huh?” Christen asked into the growing silence. Tobin nodded in confirmation. “Is that because you work here or because you really like it?”

 

Tobin considered the question before responding. “Both, I guess. I used to come here daily and then one day Christie, the owner, stopped by my table, she filled my cup and left a job application. She told me she was tired of taking all my money and that I should at least work off my addiction. So, I’m still here almost every day but now I work one shift on the weekends and at least one during the week and help out whenever I can but all my coffees are free.”

 

“Wow, that was nice of her,” Christen commented.

“Christie’s awesome! She also bakes all the cookies.”

“Oh, my gosh,” Christen glanced down towards her empty plate, “I don’t even know her but I already love her. That was one of the best cookies I’ve ever had.” Christen said and Tobin’s grinned widened.

 

“Now you know how we keep so many customers,” Tobin kinda joked as she glanced around the café.

 

Truthfully, the cookies and atmosphere were part of the reason the café was successful. The other reason, the most important, was Christie. She was an amazing person and a good boss. She had a great rapport with the customers, she was always fair, never really got angry and truly cared about people. Christie would forever hold a special place in Tobin’s heart.

 

“Yeah, I don’t know when she finds the time but each morning we have a batch of freshly made cookies. Luckily for me, Harry works an earlier shift and saves me one.”

 

“Oh, so you’re the reason,” Christen said with a slow smile “I wondered why you guys were always sold out.”

 

“It pays to have connections on the inside,” Tobin joked.

“Well, do you think Harry can save me one also? When does he work?”

 

“Actually, Harry is the soon to be dead, tall blonde,” Tobin answered. Christen glanced towards the counter, her eye brows raised in question as she watched Allie talking with a customer. “Harry? Is that really her name?”

“No, her real name is Allie, well Alexandra but don’t tell her I told you that.” Christen held up her hand, “I promise. Girl scouts honor”

Tobin arched her eyebrows. That was the second time today someone who wasn’t a girl scout made her that promise. Her sister had been a girl scout and Tobin knew Christen wasn’t holding her hand the right way, “Were you a girl scout?”

 

“No,” Christen laughed.

 

“So…that wasn’t a real promise, was it?”,” Tobin pretended to be concerned. Her body stilled when Christen suddenly covered her hand with hers, “I promise,” Christen said sincerely.

 

“Uh…thanks,” Tobin swallowed thickly, “she’d kill me otherwise.”

“You guys must be best friends,”

“Yeah, since college. How’d you know?”

 

“Simple,” Christen shrugged, “I talk about my best friend the same way. I’m always threatening to kill him.”

 

“He doesn’t threaten to kill you?”

“No, I’m an angel” and then Christen laughed low in her throat.

 

They fell into an awkward silence and Tobin didn’t know what to do. She started to worry that maybe she’d over stayed her welcome. Christen didn’t seem to mind her company but that might be because she was being polite.

 

Tobin racked her brain for something to say and cringed internally when she heard herself say, “How about you? Do you come…for the cookies or because you like it?”

 

It sounded like a bad pickup line to Tobin. Not to mention she almost asked Christen if she came here often after work which would’ve been a huge mistake because Christen hadn’t said anything about her job yet. Tobin only knew about that because of Christen’s conversation with her friend.

 

Christen cupped her mug, almost protectively and shook her head, “Not really.” Christen leaned forward and half whispered like she was sharing a secret, “I actually discovered this place from a blog. It had a good review, so I thought I’d check it out. That sounds weird, doesn’t it?” Christen asked a little concerned.

 

“Nope,” Tobin said, it didn’t sound weird especially not to the person who wrote the blog.

“It’s called the ‘Coffee Enthusiast,’ have you ever heard of it?”

“I have,” Tobin answered. For reasons she wasn’t sure of, she didn’t want Christen to know she wrote it, at least not yet.

 

“Then you must know Morning Glory received a good review,” motioning towards Tobin with her hand, “I also checked it out on Yelp, and it had nothing but four and five starts. Plus, it’s near my job and it stays open till midnight. Work is crazy and I’m gonna have a lot of late nights soon and will need a steady supply of good coffee.”

 

Tobin smiled the whole time Christen talked. She’d have to admit she was really enjoying herself. Christen was so animated, she talked with her whole body, her hands were always moving, her eyes expressive. It made Tobin feel special as if she mattered, like this conversation was just as important to Christen as it was to her. Tobin also thought she detected a nervous energy underlying Christen’s movements which was endearing.

 

“Where do you work?” Feeling a little more confident, Tobin sat up and leaned forward.

 

“Creative Time. You probably haven’t heard of it. It’s a nonprofit arts organization?” Tobin shook her head apologetically.

 

Christen shrugged, “Most people haven’t but I love the work.”

 

“What type of art or projects do you do?” Tobin blushed a little, feeling out of her depth. She didn’t know much, okay she knew absolutely nothing about art but she still wanted to hear about since it was important to Christen.

 

“Oh, it depends. We showcase local unknown artist and internationally renowned ones. The artwork can be paintings to life sized sculptures but mostly we focus on unique installations that have some type of social awareness. I’m not explaining this well, but I promise all the exhibitions are amazing. We’re currently working on a project at an old textile factory. It will show the progression of the textile industry and how it transformed certain neighborhoods.”

 

“It sounds interesting, I’d like to see it?” Tobin said honestly.

 

“Yeah?” Christen seemed surprised. Tobin nodded her head unsure if Christen was surprised because she didn’t seem the type or because people didn’t go to her events.

 

“Then you should totally come. It would be awesome to have a familiar face there.”

“Your…friends don’t go?”

 

“Oh yeah, they do when they can. My best friend always come but most of the exhibits are during the week at night and it can conflict with people’s schedules. Besides the more people the better.” Christen kept her eyes on the table, her finger tracing random patterns. Tobin guessed Christen was really talking about her boyfriend and her dislike for the boy grew.

“Well, you’ll have to let me know when it is.”

“It’s scheduled to open in a month…but we’re behind schedule. I don’t know how we’re going to do it.” Christen glanced down at the blank notebook in front of her. “It will be an amazing show, I know it. It’s just going to be a lot of work”

“Oh, am I keeping you?” Tobin pushed back her chair starting to rise.

“NO,” Christen leaned over and covered Tobin’s hand again, “no, please stay, I needed a break unless…you have to go?” Tobin shook her head and settled back into her chair.

“I’m free until practice.” Tobin finished her coffee with one long gulp. She wasn’t used to casual touches from strangers and was thrown off by how much she enjoyed the feeling of Christen’s hand on top of hers. It unsettled and scared her a little.

“Practice?”

“Yeah, I play in recreational women’s soccer league,” Tobin explained nonchalantly.

“Oh, that’s cool. My sister used to play in one also, back home.”

“Back home?”

“Oh, Cali. That’s where I’m from originally.”

“Nice. Do you play?” Tobin asked the league was always looking for new players.

 

Christen shook her head, “No, I’m not really into sports. I ran track in high school and a little bit in college but that’s about it.” Christen said her tone changing, it had gotten smaller.

“You don’t enjoy them? Or just not your thing?”

“Just not my thing. I’ll watch if other people are but I don’t follow or really care.”

 

“I understand.” Tobin loved sports, she could pretty much watch anything all day long but she understood it wasn’t for everyone.

 

“I’m an oddball I know. Most of my friends are obsessed. They do the fantasy whatever’s…”

“Fantasy leagues?” Tobin suggested

“Yeah that. I mean I watch all the big games, you know the super bowls and stuff but if you named a team I probably couldn’t tell you which sport they played.” Christen finished with a shrug.

“Well, if it makes you feel better, I know absolutely nothing about art.”

“Thanks, but that’s probably not true. I bet you know more than you think.”

“I doubt it,” Tobin said and frowned at her empty cup. She wanted more but she didn’t want to get up. She was afraid that if she did, Christen would remember her work and their conversation would end.

“When are your games?”

“Games are Saturday and Sunday evenings,” Tobin answered.

“When is your next game?” Christen asked meeting Tobin’s eyes.

“This Saturday night, at the old university field.” Tobin said and before she thought about it added, “you should come. It’s a lot of fun. I know you don’t really like sports but we all go out afterward for beers and pizza.”

 

Christen smiled and thought for a minute. “I’ll make a deal with you, I’ll come to one of your games if you come to my event.”

 

“Deal,” Tobin grinned.

 

“Deal” Christen offered her hand and they shook on it. Tobin marveled at how much softer Christen’s hand felt in comparison to hers.

 

Tobin’s phone vibrated in her pocket and she thought about ignoring it but guessed it was Lindsey asking for a ride to practice. Peeking at her screen she saw she was right. Tobin sent her back a quick text.

 

“Do you have to go?” Christen asked having watched Tobin intently.

“In a few minutes, I have to pick a friend up.”

“That’s nice of you” Christen commented.

 

“Not really, she’s literally on the way to the field,” Tobin said. Her phone buzzed again and Tobin frowned at Allie’s message. Apparently, they were also picking up Sonnett, who definitely was not on the way to practice. Tobin shot Allie an annoyed glare and Allie held her hands up helplessly.

 

“Uh…I’m actually going to have to leave a little earlier than I thought but tell me about your project.”

“Are you sure?” Christen asked hesitantly glancing at Allie and then back, “If you have to go…”

“No, I have a couple of minutes,” Tobin insisted.

“Oh, well…” and for the next fifteen minutes, Tobin listened as Christen talked about her project.

Tobin’s phone buzzed in her pocket again and she knew it was Allie telling her they had to leave. Tobin sighed and Christen blushed a little, “I’m boring you aren’t I. I’m sorry, I know it’s not….”

“No, no. You’re good but I have to go”

“Oh right. I am sorry… I just kept talking.”

“You can tell me the rest on Saturday?” Tobin inflected her voice in question, wanting confirmation that Christen was still coming to her game.

“Right,” Christen reached into her bag and pulled out an old receipt. She wrote something on the back before handing it over to Tobin. “Text me the details.”

Okay, yeah. I will.” Standing Tobin slung her backpack onto her shoulder. She picked up Christen’s empty plate and mug, “I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye, Tobin.” Christen waved goodbye.

“Later.”

Christen watched Tobin walk to the counter and said something to Allie. Christen glanced down at the napkin and thought it was a little strange that Allie had written Tobin’s number down. She wasn’t sure what that really meant but decided it was a good thing. First, the cookie had been amazing and Tobin seemed really nice. In fact, she’d shown more interest in Christen’s work than most of her social group.

Despite the awkwardness of the situation, Christen was proud of herself for making a new friend. Nima was always telling her to go out and socialize, make friends all of her own. Christen felt like she’d accomplished that tonight.

Tobin seemed easy going and down to earth, so different than the A type, high strung individuals she’d grown accustomed to, people so different from her. Christen pulled out her planner and on Saturday she wrote down, “T’s soccer game.” It was also nice to know what someone else besides, Nima, JJ, and Lys would come to her event because for whatever reason, Christen had no doubt that Tobin would show up.

Walking to her car with Allie Tobin looked at the receipt and smiled. Christen had written her number down.

“What? What are you smiling at?” Allie asked.

“Nothing,” Tobin carefully folded and placed the slip of paper in her pocket. That’s when it hit her. “Oh fuck,” Tobin leaned her head against the frame of her car. 

“What happened?” Allie asked concerned.

“I never asked her for her name,” Tobin admitted.

Allie laughed hard, “smooth Harry, smooth. Now open the doors.”


	3. Beer, everyone!?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm sooo sorry this took so long. I know this was supposed to go up yesterday, but better late than never, right?
> 
> Also, editing didn't happen, at all. I just wanted to update, so I will try my best to come back and edit this and the last two chapters but I make no promises. So I apologize in advance. 
> 
> Story is heavily influenced by the song, "Nights with You"
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!

“Shit! We’re late,” Christen exclaimed as she exited the driver side of her car.

 

Nima slowly followed Christen to the front of her car. Nima amusedly study his normally calm and collected best friend. He didn’t know why but Christen was s0 nervous and jumpy but she’d been like that since he arrived at her apartment an hour ago.

Nima shook his head as he remembered the SOS message she had sent me begging him to come to her apartment and help her pick out something to wear. When he arrived Nima wasn’t completely surprised to find Christen half-dressed and her bed covered in discarded clothing.

 

It reminded Nima of their college days, of how Christen had stressed and agonized over what to wear before a date. That was before Rile, in fact since then, Nima couldn’t remember the last time Christen been so worked up. It was cute and confusing. All he knew was that they were going to some “soccer thingy,” and hadn’t given him any other details besides the fact that it was causal and promised they’d have fun.

 

Nima didn’t know what a “soccer thingy” was but assumed it was another art show or event Christen was dragging him to. He didn’t really mind, Nima always joked that Christen kept him cultured. But he didn’t understand why today seemed so special, why Chris was so stressed out.

 

Ignoring the way Nima was looking at her, Christen walked quickly towards the parking lot exit.  She wonder again if coming was to this game was a bad idea. Closing her eyes, Christen inhaled deeply and exhaled. Reminding herself that she’d been invited and that she was looking forward to doing something different. Her schedule had been so crazy lately she almost never had time for simple things like this.

 

At first, Christen hadn’t known what to expect. She wasn’t sure if Tobin would text her. Sure, Tobin said she would and she’d seemed genuine but it’d been a long time since Christen had tried to make friends. Maybe Tobin was just being polite, passing on an invite that had no real substance. Although Christen had been sincere in her invitation, she really wanted Tobin to come to her event and not because she need patrons but because it was nice to actually have someone, other than her usual crew, interested in her work. Again, she thought Tobin had seemed sincere when she made the deal with her.

 

The more Christen thought about it, the more she realized how much she really wanted to see Tobin and hoped it hadn’t just been a polite invite. But as the days passed and there were no messages from the other girl, Christen started to stress. She wondered if maybe she should reach out, show genuine interest but before Christen could get the courage, Tobin text her.

 

Her initial delight almost immediately gave way to another wave of worry as Tobin’s message had been short and vague. It had been so brief, Christen worried that it an actual invitation.

All Tobin provide was the time, name and address of the field.

 

Christen stared at the message in hurt confusion. She didn’t know how to respond. She wanted to ask for more details but didn’t want to seem too pushy. Christen was meticulous with details. In fact, all her friends made fun of her for it. No matter what they were doing, she always sent a detailed message, with the time, date, location and best way to get there, she’d even gone as far as including the google maps link.

 

Steading her breathing, Christen calmed herself, recognizing she was overreacting. She eventually convinced herself that Tobin wouldn’t have sent the text unless she meant it. Still, Christen hadn’t been sure how to respond.

 

Christen just didn’t do causal conversation with strangers and absolutely had no clue how to make new friends. Tentatively she typed out a question but immediately deleted it. Christen continued to type message and delete them for the next couple of minutes, until Tobin finally saved her when she sent, “hope you can make it.” Christen simply sent back a smile face and thumbs up emoji.

She’d been striving for casual but now Christen wish she had at least asked one or two more questions.

 

Now, they were late and Christen worried that Tobin thought she wasn’t coming. The whole morning had been a mess. She couldn’t figure out what to wear. She never did anything like this and everything she picked out had seemed wrong in some way and of course Nima hadn’t been all that helpful. He’d just laughed at her and told her to wear what she normally wore. Deciding to go with comfort, something she didn’t get to do often, she settled on ripped jeans, a crop top and Converses.

 

Knowing she was going to be late, Christen sent Tobin a text before they left her apartment but hadn’t received a response, not that she’d really expected one. Christen figured Tobin was probably with her team, doing whatever they needed to before the game. However, what she hadn’t expected was the size of the field. It was huge and to her dismay there were concurrent games happening.

 

“Ugh,” Christen double checked Tobin’s text messages, hoping for additional details to miraculously appear. They didn’t, Tobin definitely didn’t specify her team or which field to go to.

 

“What?” Nima asked standing next to her.

 

“I don’t know where to go.” Christen pointed vaguely towards the field her eyes still focused on her phone. She wondered if she should send Tobin a text asking her which teams was hers.

 

Examining the area Nima looked for a building or anything that looked like it was housing an art exhibit but all he saw were people running. “Where are we supposed to be going?”

“Here!” Christen exclaimed waving in the general direction of the field. She decided against texting Tobin again. Christen thought Tobin might already be playing and if she wasn’t, didn’t want to bother her. “At least I think this is the place.”

 

“Uh…Chris…you know, we’re at a field, right?”

Shielding her eyes with her hand, Christen responded absently, “yeah.”

 

“A field, where people are playing soccer.” Nima further clarified. He knew Christen had said a soccer thingy, but didn’t think she actually meant watching soccer, “are you sure this is the right place?”

 

“Is there somewhere else you play soccer?” Christen asked sarcastically.

 

“So, you want to be here?” Nima asked still confused.

 

“What? What do you mean? I told you we were going to a soccer game and we’re late. Why

 didn’t…” Christen mumbled as she glared at her phone.

“Wait, like real soccer, like the sport?”

 

“Is there another kind?” Christen asked irritated.

 

“Honestly, I thought we were going to an art thing…” Nima shut up when Christen shot him a scathing glare.

 

“Look, I think the game has started,” Christen pointed down at the field, her voice distress.

 

“No, they’re just warming up.” Nima said reassuringly, “Do you know the name of the team? Or their kit, I mean uniform…

 

“I know what a kit is” Christen interjected, “and no I don’t know because I didn’t think to ask and Tobin didn’t tell me there would be two games.” Christen said exasperated.

 

Nima fought to contain his smile. He didn’t know if it made him a bad friend but he enjoyed it when Christen was flustered and off balanced because it happened so rarely. Clearing his throat he focused on the field. He still didn’t know why this was so important to Chris but it clearly was.

“Okay, so the team closest to us is red and black,” Nima said pointing, “the other team is purple, I think. Over there, they’re wearing all white and the other team is a dark blue or black, I’m not sure. Does that help?”

 

Squinting Christen studied the fields a little encouraged, “maybe…I think there was a black and red patch on Tobin’s backpack, so maybe that team?” Then in defeat Christen added, “But that could have been for something else right? Like, maybe a school?” Christen threw her heads up, “ugh…whatever, let’s just go there first.”

 

“Okay, but who is Tobin?”

 

Christen glanced over her shoulder and said in exasperation, “Did you listen to anything I said this afternoon? We’re going to my friend, Tobin’s soccer game.”

 

“Yeah, I heard you but I thought Tobin was an artist and soccer was a euphemism. Besides, I know all of your friends, and I’ve never heard that name before.”

 

“Well, we might not be friends, I mean we are but...I don’t know.”

“How do you not know? Nima asked amused.

“We just met.”

“How come I’m just now hearing about this? Where did you meet?”

 

“Morning Glory,” Christen loved Nima but she didn’t want him to make a big deal out of this, so she purposely kept her answers short. He didn’t seem to notice, just raised his eyebrows in speculation, “Morning Glory, your new café?”

 

Christen rolled her eyes, “It’s not mine but yes, that café.”

“Uhg, I’m proud and impressed.”

“Why?” Christen chuckled. They were almost there but she still didn’t see Tobin.

 

“Because it’s not like you. I’m proud of you for trying something new and stepping out of your comfort zone.”

 

“Thank you, Dr. Majd.” Christen rolled her eyes again. Nima had taken a few psychology courses in college and loved to act like her personal psychologist now and then. Christen appreciated Nima’s praise but she hesitantly admitted the truth, “but I didn’t start it.”

 

Nima glanced at her expectantly. Sighing Christen mumbled, “It was kind of by accident, I think. Tobin bought a cookie to my table but her friend had written her name and number down on my napkin. I guess it was a joke but that’s how we started talking.”

 

“Wait,” Nima raised his hand as he really looked around for the first time, realizing that all the players were women. Confused Nima asked, “Tobin’s friend wrote _her_ name or _Tobin’s_ name down on the napkin?”

 

“Tobin’s, but she didn’t know about it.” Christen clarified not looking at him.

 

Slowing down, Nima took hold of Christen’s arm pulling her to a stop. “Wait, so Tobin is a girl?”

 

Christen stared at him and then placed the back of her hand against Nima’s forehead. “Are you feeling alright? You’re being weird and slower than normal.”

 

“I’m fine,” Nima said pulling his forehead away.

 

“Then what is wrong with you? Yes, we are going to a watch my friend, Tobin, a girl, play in her women’s rec soccer league. Why is that so hard to understand?”

 

Nima stared blankly at Christen and didn’t know how to answer her question because it wasn’t hard to understand, normally. If this had been any of his other friends Nima wouldn’t have thought twice about it, he’d known a “soccer thingy” actually meant soccer but this was Christen. His normally quiet friend who liked to keep to herself, who didn’t randomly make new friends and most certainly didn’t voluntarily go to sporting events.

Nima had assumed that if Christen was going to make any new friends then it would be someone in the art world. He definitely did see it being someone from the café. So yeah, he was surprised to learn that Tobin wasn’t an artist but a woman who played sports. Nima knew he had to be careful because he didn’t want Christen to think he wasn’t supportive because he was. He was thrilled actually. Anything that took Christen away from her increasingly solitarily life, he was for. He just had a lot of questions.

 

“Uh, nothing I guess. I just didn’t think you liked sports.” Nima offered lamely.

 

“Oh, well…I mean I don’t usually but it’s soccer and I kinda understand it. I used to watch Taylor play.”

 

“True,” Nima answered absently as he replayed every word Christen had said to him about today in his mind. Now that he understood what was going on, his curiosity was piqued. He couldn’t wait to meet this new friend because while Christen didn’t seem to question why Tobin’s number was written on the napkin, he was willing to bet he knew why. Nima had a feeling this was going to be a very entertaining evening.

 

 

Clearing his throat, Nima led them towards the field with the red and black kits. “So, you think she plays on this team?”

 

“I don’t know, maybe...” Suddenly, Christen grabbed Nima’s hand, “Do you think maybe that was on purpose? Like maybe she didn’t give me more details because she didn’t really want me to come?”

 

“Whoa…,” Nima regarded Christen seriously. As amusing as this was, there was something else going on here. Christen had never been this nervous about anything. Not her first date, not even her first event. “What exactly did she say?”

 

Christen pulled up the text messages and showed him. Sure the message was brief but Nima detected an undercurrent of nervousness on Tobin’s part. At the same time, the message had also been direct and to the point. Nima guessed that Tobin was the straightforward type and wouldn’t have said anything if she really didn’t want Christen to come.

 

“No, I don’t think that’s it,” Nima said honestly. “She probably just forgot to mention it.”

 

“Oh, okay” Christen said as she continued to scan the filed, complete unware of her nails digging into Nima’s skin. With a small gasp, Christen pointed towards the end of the field, where she thought she saw Tobin. “oh, I think I see her. Let’s go.”

 

“Aye, Aye Captain.”

 

Steering them right, Christen recognized she was probably stressing for no reason. Logically she knew it didn’t matter if she was a little late to the game, they were long after all but for some reason it felt important that she saw Tobin before the game started. She just didn’t know why exactly.

 

Standing to the side of the bleachers, Christen breathed a sigh of relief when she finally caught sight of Tobin but instead of taking a seat, she waited.  She wanted to make sure Tobin knew she was there.

 

Nima felt Christen’s body relax and her face gave him the answer before he even asked, “So we’re at the right place?”

 

“Yeah, that’s Tobin with the ponytail,” and just as Christen raised her hand to point, Tobin turned around and saw her. Caught with her arm half raised Christen waved awkwardly.

 

Amused Nima stood behind Christen and watched the whole interaction. He couldn’t wait to see what else would happen.

 

 

*

 

 

“Harry!  Seriously!?!”

 

“Fuck,” Tobin mumbled running after the ball that escaped her foot for the third time. Tobin shouldn’t have warmed up with Allie, not when she was so distracted. One of her other teammates wouldn’t have made a big deal about it but not Allie. It didn’t help that she was messing up on basic drills. Not to mention this game was important and Allie been worked up all week, she was out for blood and been insufferable all week.

 

“What is wrong with you?” Allie asked, watching Tobin fetch the ball, again.

 

“Sorry,” Tobin mumbled running back towards Allie and trying to sneak a peek towards the bleachers, secretly looking for Christen. She’d hoped the smiley face and thumbs up Christen had sent in response to her messages meant she was coming. But the game was about to start, and Tobin hadn’t seen Christen yet. It was possible she was already sitting down in the bleachers but for some reason, Tobin didn’t think so. She was pretty sure she’d know if Christen was here.

 

“Harry?” Allie asked stopping the ball with her foot as she scrutinized Tobin.

“I’m good,” Tobin responded tersely.

“We need you focused. Harry, I will not lose to…”

 

“I know!” Tobin practically yelled before stopping. Taking a deep breath Tobin pushed her hair from in front of her eyes, “I know. We won’t lose. I’m good. I promise.”

 

Allie studied her for another second before shrugging her shoulders and kicking the ball back. Sighing in relief, Tobin knew she needed to get it together. Her lapse in concentration was uncharacteristic and Allie and her teammates need her focused. It was only a matter of time before Allie started pestering her and demanding answers to her questions. Questions, Tobin didn’t want to answer.

 

Allie didn’t know Christen was coming because Tobin purposefully hadn’t mentioned it. In fact, Tobin studiously hadn’t mentioned Christen at all. She didn’t want Allie to make a bigger deal out of this then it was.

 

Tobin had been livid about the napkin stunt. She barely spoke to Allie that night. Tobin partly blamed herself. She was usually better at hiding her feelings and while she didn’t agree with Allie’s methods, Allie meant well. The problem was that Tobin didn’t have the heart nor the inclination to explain to Allie why the napkin had been a mistake. She didn’t want to have to admit out loud that she wasn’t Christen’s type because that meant explaining that Christen was the type to have a boyfriend. Tobin liked to ignore this fact, which she knew wasn’t good.

 

The other reason Tobin hadn’t said anything was because she was afraid that Christen wouldn’t come. Tobin was still surprised and unsure about what happened in the café. Tobin knew she was a bit of a lone wolf. She didn’t have many friends and she liked it like that.

 

Christen was different, she wasn’t like anyone that Tobin hung out with on the regular. That’s what made her so fascinating, so refreshing. At least that’s how Tobin justified her growing crush and it was a crush. Tobin just wasn’t willing to admit it out loud and especially not to Allie.

 

Tobin kept quiet because Allie would have teased her mercilessly until game day and if Christen didn’t come to the game Tobin didn’t want her pity either. So, Tobin hadn’t said anything. Now with the game about to start, Tobin was in trouble. She was badly distracted and starting to worry she’d be that way throughout the whole game.

 

Turning with the ball, a movement by the stands caught Tobin’s attention. Smiling, Tobin zoned in on two figures standing by the bleachers, immediately recognizing Christen. The pure joy racing through her warred with the warning bells going off in the back of her mind. Warning bells Tobin choose to ignore for now.

 

Christen waved, at least Tobin thought so, so she waved back. A second later Tobin realized her mistake. Allie immediately noticed her and snapped her head around to see what Tobin was waving at.  

 

“What are you smiling at…” Smirking Allie turned back around, “is that who I think it is?”

 

Tobin ignored Allie. Now that Christen was here, Tobin felt herself relax. Her body suddenly remembered how to handle the ball and she didn’t miss another pass.

 

Tobin felt settled but still, something didn’t feel right. Her gaze kept wandering back to Christen, her eyebrows creasing with worry. Even from across the field, Tobin could tell something was wrong. Christen’s body language was off which worried Tobin more than she’d like to admit.  She had this desire to fix whatever it was.

 

“Be back,” Tobin said and jogged towards the bleachers before Allie could say or ask anything. No doubt, Allie would barrage her with a thousand questions later but right now Tobin only cared about making sure Christen was okay.

 

Halfway to the sideline Tobin slowed down, almost coming to a complete stop when she finally realized Christen was talking to someone standing near her.

 

Tobin’s stomach bottomed out when she realized the stranger was a male. It never occurred to Tobin that Christen would bring her boyfriend. Maybe it should have. It was completely reasonable that she would. Except Christen hadn’t mentioned him yet but then again, why would she?

Tobin swallowed hard. She wasn’t ready to meet him. Truthfully, Tobin didn’t think she would ever be ready to meet him but now that she was half way across the field, she didn’t think she had any choice. It would be too weird for her to just turn around now.

 

Forcing her feet forward, but as she got closer the fake smile plastered on her face melted into genuine happiness and immense relief when she realized the boy was Christen’s best friend.

 

“Hey,” Tobin breathed coming to a stop in front of a now smiling Christen. Tobin was embarrassed to find herself breathless, especially since she didn’t think it was a result of the jog.

 

“Hey!” Christen responded happily.

 

“You made it,” Tobin smiled head tilt to the side. It stunned Tobin to realize just how glad she was Christen was here.

 

“I made it,” Christen laughed, putting her hands up in the air in a little dance. Tobin grinned as she listened to the sound. She decided immediately that she liked the way Christen laughed. It was sweet and true. She hoped she’d hear it more.

 

Still chuckling Christen tilt her head and Tobin was caught off guard. She knew it before but like this, with the with the sunlight slanting across her face, smiling and her eyes alight with happiness, Christen was breathtaking.

 

Biting her lip nervously, Christen studied Tobin from head to toe. It felt a little strange to see her outside the café but also right in a way. Tobin looked so natural and confident standing on the field, in her kit and boots. Parts of her hair looked lighter in the sunlight as if she’d once had highlights that only now appeared when teased by the sun. Her eyes were a cognac brown, warm and welcoming and for the first time that day, Christen felt herself.

 

Standing by silently, Nima watched the whole scene in fascination. Neither girl was aware of his presence nor did they seem to realize they were staring at each other. Clearing his throat, Nima held out his hand in greeting and introduced himself, “Hi, I’m Nima.”

 

Christen blushed slightly and chuckled uneasily, “Oh right, I’m sorry. Tobin this is my best friend Nima.” Gesturing between them, Christen continued, “Nima, this is Tobin, my…friend.”

 

“Nice to meet you,” Tobin took Nima’s hand and prayed her voice sounded steadier than it felt. Self-consciously Tobin slipped her hands into her warm-up jacket, bouncing on her feet. She knew she’d been caught starting and something told her that Nima knew it wasn’t completely innocent.

 

Sensing Tobin’s uneasiness but not sure what caused it, Christen rushed to apologize. “Sorry, we’re late.”

 

“You’re not. We’re just warming up,” Tobin said glancing over her shoulder and found Allie waving at her to come on.

 

“Oh, good. I wasn’t sure. I didn’t realize there would be two games, and since I didn’t know the name of your team…” Christen trailed off, catching sight of an irritated Allie. “I don’t want to keep you.”

 

“You’re not.” Tobin rushed to say. She would deal with Allie later. “I’m sorry…there’s normally just one game but last weeks’ got rained out. Also, I…um…I play for the Roses.” Tobin laughed at Christen’s raised eyebrows, “I know. I didn’t pick the name.”

 

“Um...I think…you’re needed.” Christen said.

 

“Nah, it’s all good,” Tobin shrugged, not even turning around. “Besides, I have to make sure our cheering squad is all set up.”

 

“Who said I was cheering for you, huh?” Christen joked. Tobin hoped she was joking. “Know someone else do you?” Tobin said pretending to look around.

“You never know” Christen absolutely did not know anyone else here but she was enjoying the banter.

 

Tobin quickly glanced around before leaning in, “not to brag but we’re the best team. Even if you do know someone else, you want to cheer for the best, right?”

 

“Modesty, I like it,” Christen chuckled.

“Just honest” Tobin smirked.

“Well, if I’m going to cheer, I guess I…we should cheer for the best?” Christen said glancing towards Nima.

 

“Excellent,” Tobin said.

 

Nima laughed as a ball suddenly hit Tobin squarely in the back. Christen chuckled but looked over Tobin’s shoulder with growing concern. Unfazed Tobin glanced back and forth between Christen and Nima before making a quick decision. “Are you free later on? We usually go out after the game for a drink or two, it’s a good time. You guys should come.” Tobin said making eyes contact with both Christen and Nima.

 

“Oh, well…,” automatically Christen started to make an excuse. It’s how she always responded to spontaneous invites. She liked having a schedule and believed in sticking to it. Maybe a little too much.

 

“We’re free,” Nima said, giving Christen a knowing look.

 

“Oh, great. So yeah, if you want…” Tobin trailed off when a male voice called her name from a few feet away. Glancing over Tobin saw her coach bringing the team in. Tobin now wished she’d waited until after the game. She felt like she put Christen on the spot.

 

“Uh, I gotta go, but think about it?”

 

Why the hell not? Feeling lighter than she had in days, Christen grinned at Tobin and heard herself say, “I’m in, but only if you win. I only drink with winners.”

Walking backward Tobin winked, “No prob,”

 

“Oh, I was just joking,” Christen yelled, suddenly feeling bad. She didn’t mean to put pressure on Tobin, especially not right before her game.

 

“We’re still going to win.” Grinning Tobin shrugged and then ran to stand by Allie, who smiled smugly. “Nice of you to join us.”

 

“Shut up,” Tobin rolled her eyes but she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. She bent her head and rested her hand on Allie’s shoulder. Tobin half listened to her coach but mostly she mentally prepared herself for the game. She knew what needed to be done, now it was time to do it.

 

The huddle broke and Tobin grabbed some water.

“Ready, Harry?” Allie asked putting her water bottle down.

 

“Ready,” Tobin answered and waited but the questions never came. She wondered for how long exactly Allie would be able to contain her curiosity and before bombarding Tobin will all the questions that she was clearly dying to ask. Tobin figured until halftime, but she’d take it for now.

 

They ran onto the field, taking their respective spots when Allie, grabbed Tobin’s hand and looking her straight in the eyes said, “better score, you’ve got a girl to impress.” Winking Allie ran to her spot as Tobin flipped her off.

 

 

*

 

 

The minute the referee blew the whistle indicating halftime, Tobin’s eyes searched the stands. During the first half, Tobin sole focus had been on the game but now she wanted to know if Christen was having fun.

 

An arm wrapped around her neck and Tobin smiled and said, “nice goal”.

 

Allie laughed delightedly, “nice assist, Harry.” Allie squeezed her briefly before pulling away, leaving her arm loosely dangling from around Tobin’s shoulders, “and good try but you know I’m going to ask. Café girl?”

 

Tobin sighed. She knew what Allie was asking but responded with a question, “You mean Christen?” Allie laughed harder and louder to Tobin’s dismay as she glanced around nervously. Allie wasn’t the most tactful person.

 

“Right, I forgot and how exactly did she know about our game?” Allie teased good-naturedly.

 

“I kind of told her about it,” Tobin mumbled and closed her eyes in embarrassment when Allie squealed and jumped up and down before encasing her in a bear hug.

 

Pulling away, Tobin groaned, “could you not? Besides, it’s not like that.” She glanced around to make sure none of her other teammates were paying attention.

 

“What do you mean?” Allie looked at Tobin seriously.

 

“Nothing, it’s just not what you think. I know what you were trying to do with the napkin but it’s not like that. I’m not her type.” Tobin added hoping Allie would put the pieces together.

 

“How can you be sure? Did she say something? I mean she came,” Allie started to turn her head towards Christen but Tobin grabbed her and spun her towards their bench area, “She wants to meet new people, make new friends, that’s all. Trust me.”

 

Allie looked at Tobin disbelieving but to Tobin’s relief, she dropped the subject, “We’re still going out afterwards, right? Maybe Christen and her friend can come, you know especially since it’s just friendly.

 

Tobin poised the water bottle above her mouth and said quickly, “they already said yes,” and taking another drink she walked away, enjoying the look of surprise on Allie’s face.

 

“Harry!!”

“Heath, Long! Bring it in!”

 

 

*

 

 

“That was a good game, right?” Christen asked Nima anxiously. She wasn’t a complete novice, but she hadn’t been to a game in years.

 

“It was,” Nima said sounding a little impressed.

“Tobin was good, right? I mean she got an assist.” Christen said proudly.

 

“Two assists, actually.” Nima corrected Christen with a knowing smile, “and yes, she was good, more than good, actually.” Nima chuckled at the grin that spread over Christen’s face. He didn’t even think she was aware of it. Unable to stop himself Nima teased, “I’m surprised you missed the second assist since you couldn’t take your eyes off her.”

 

Christen felt herself blushing slightly and didn’t even think to wonder about it. She was just happy that her friend won. “Whatever, I was just watching my friend.” She scanned the field looking for Tobin but all she saw was a mass of red and black jerseys celebrating. Tobin had mentioned going out after the game but Christen wasn’t sure if Tobin would still be up for that. It looked like she’d taken a few hard knocks during the game.

 

“I’m just saying there were twenty-one other players you could have watched,” Nima said watching as Christen scanned the crowd.

 

“I did, Nima,” Christen laughed.

“Ok, then who scored the goals?” Nima asked with raised eyebrows.

 

“I don’t know. I don’t know all the players” Christen glanced at Nima in confusion. “I know her friend Allie, she’s the tall blonde, scored.”

 

“There were two other goals, Chris,” Nima laughed. He knew she hadn’t paid attention to the announcement of the names. When a goal was scored Christen would stand up and cheer but her eyes were always locked on number seventeen. Nima had never seen her this invested in anything sports related, not even her own sister’s games.

 

“Whatever, they won. That’s the important part.”

 

“True,” Nima said. He loved Christen, they’d been friends since middle school, but she’d changed over the years, especially the last couple. She’d gotten serious, always worrying and she had to plan everything out. He couldn’t remember the last time they had a such a causal fun day. It made him both happy and a little sad.

 

Sometimes he missed his old friend and today was the closest he’d gotten to her in a while. He didn’t know what brought on the change but he readily welcomed it. He had a feeling Tobin was a part of the transformation, he just wondered how big a part of it was because of her or because Christen was finally started to chafe under the strict structure her life had taken.

 

“Oh, there she is. Do you think we should wait?” Christen asked, making Nima smile broadly. He remembered Tobin’s invite but he wasn’t going to push. “I know she mentioned getting drinks, but do you think she still wants to? I mean, she’s probably tired and just wants to spend time with her teammates, right?”

 

“Ask her,” Nima whispered into Christen’s ear as Tobin broke free of the group and jogged towards them, a huge grin on her face.

 

“Hey guys!” Tobin panted.

 

“You were great,” Christen exclaimed. Her gaze slowly sliding over Tobin. Christen fought the urge to push back the few baby hairs that seemed determined to escape from her ponytail. She also noticed the flush of her cheeks from her exertion and thought Tobin looked radiant. Christen gasped when she saw Tobin’s knee, “your leg is bleeding.”

 

“Huh?” Tobin glanced down and shrugged, “Oh, it’s nothing, I probably got it during a tackle.”

“Are you sure? It looks painful,” Christen asked worriedly.

“It’s nothing, it happens all the time,” Tobin said reassuringly but Christen looked dubiously at the caked blood. “Maybe we should clean it off?” Christen offered and looked around for something to use.

 

Tobin shook her head, “I’ll clean it off in a minute, I have stuff in my bag.”

 

Christen didn’t look convinced. A little unsettled by Christen’s scrutiny Tobin shifted from foot to foot. She appreciated Christen's concern, actually Tobin more than appreciated it and that was the problem.

 

“Nice game,” Nima interjected trying to break the awkward silence.

 

“Thanks.” Tobin nodded towards Nima before smiling in Christen’s direction, “the cheering helped.”

 

Christen rolled her eyes as her cheeks heated up. It wasn’t her fault that she ended up really enjoying the game and maybe she’d gotten a little loud. Okay, she was definitely loud. Nima shushed her more than once. “I doubt that.”

 

“It was definitely the cheering,” Tobin grinned.

“Well, I’m glad I…” Christen waved between her and Nima, “we could help,”

 

“Don’t think it was my cheers, that helped,” Nima mumbled under his breath. If either Tobin or Christen heard him they gave no indication.

 

“So,…” Tobin started to say when an arm was slung around her shoulders.

 

“Beers, everyone!?!” Allie grinned glancing between Christen and Nima. “Hi, I’m Allie, it’s nice to meet you.” With a wave, Allie introduced herself before Tobin got a chance.

 

“Nima, nice to meet you,” Nima said returning Allie’s wave.

 

Nima subtlety stepped closer to Christen, a silent sign of support, his way of  letting her know the choice was hers. Christen smiled uncertainly at Tobin, who smiled back brightly, “We won and I owe you a beer for all the cheering!”

 

Christen bit her lower lip, “I didn’t cheer that loud.”

Allie chuckled, “You did. It was great!”

 

“Well, it was a good game,” Christen said a little self-consciously.

 

“Glad you had fun,” Allie smiled warmly before looking down at her phone, “join us at the bar, everyone goes and it’s a good time. Bati, my boyfriend, will meet us there.”

 

“Okay, where are you guys going?”

“Did you drive or do you need a ride?” Allie asked glancing up from her phone.

“Oh, I uh, we drove here,” Christen said motioning to Nima.

“Perfect! Harry can ride with you and give you directions.” Allie said with a big smile.

 

Nima chuckled, it was clear from the surprised look on Tobin's faces she hadn’t known about this part of Allie’s plan.

 

“Sonnett, one of our teammates” Allie gestured wildly towards Tobin, “lost her ride, so my car is full. You don’t mind, do you?”

 

“Uh, no that’s fine!” Christen stuttered.

 

“Wonderful! I’ll see you guys soon!” Allie said before sauntering away.

Tobin watched Allie for a few seconds before turning around and looking extremely uncomfortable, “Are you sure it’s okay? I know you weren’t planning…if you’re not okay with…I’m sure I can catch a ride with someone else.”

 

“Oh no, it’s fine really! I…we don’t mind at all” Christen offered a smile that she hoped was reassuring. Allie’s question had caught her off guard but she honestly didn’t mind plus it would be better to have a person who actually knew where they were going.

 

“Uh, yeah, okay. Where are you parked?” Tobin motioned over her shoulder, “I have to get my stuff but I can meet you by your car.”

 

“Oh, we parked in the lot over there, but we can wait for you”

 

“Oh, um…okay, I’ll be right back.” Tobin backed up before walking towards the bench to get her things.

 

“You’re okay with this right, I mean you don’t mind?” Christen asked Nima nervously but her eyes were on Tobin.

 

“Yeah, it’s cool” Nima responded but he didn’t think Christen heard him, her focus was entirely on Tobin.


	4. Good Luck Charm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying something new, shorter chapters. Hopefully, I'll be able to update faster this way. 
> 
> Somethings never change, so editing didn't happen. One day I'll try it, just not today. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!.

*

Leaning back in her chair, Tobin lightly tapped her fingers against the old scarred wood table and sipped her beer. Tobin surveyed the bar. Like usual, her favorite dive bar was packed. She and Allie found this place a few years back. Tobin loved the fact that it was dirty and grimy but also had an impressive array of craft beers. Eventually, their teammates started to come and then other teams and now all the tables were filled, the bar was loud with happy rowdy laughter.

The camaraderie after the game was part of the reason Tobin enjoyed playing in the rec league. Somedays she was social, more vocal and other days, like today, she was content to sit back and absorb the atmosphere. Her gaze shifted back across the table as Christen tilted her head to the side, laughing at something Allie said. Tobin smiled at the scene.

When they arrived, Allie was waiting for them by the door. Smiling Allie asked Tobin to get the first pitcher as she linked arms with Christen and Nima and shepherd them towards their regular booth, squeezing herself between them. Tobin simply shook her head and headed to the bar. She worried for a second, before deciding that Allie talking to Christen was a good thing. Maybe she would finally understand why Christen was only interested in her has a friend.

Tobin couldn’t hear what they were talking about but she didn’t mind because it gave her the opportunity to observe Christen without being obvious about it. Something about her drew Tobin. It wasn’t the fact that she was physically attractive, there was something about her presence, an inner strength that was calming and reassuring. It was comforting in a way that made Tobin uncomfortable because, for the first time in a while, Tobin could admit to herself that Allie might be right, that she was lonely sometimes. The problem was that Christen made Tobin feel less lonely for once and that was something Tobin was sure she should get used to, she knew she shouldn’t.

Frowning Tobin pushed her thoughts aside. They’d won their game, everyone was having fun celebrating, and Tobin was determined to stay in the moment and not dwell on things she couldn’t change. Tobin lifted her gaze and found Christen staring at her with a perplexed smile.

“You okay?” Christen asked, leaning across the table, “You looked a little lost. Are you having a good time?”

Tobin edged forward to close the distance between them, “I’m good, just chillin’, are you having fun?”

“Yeah,” Christen smiled brightly as she glanced at the décor. The walls were littered with old movie posters and record albums highlighted with a touch of random graffiti. There was a jukebox in the corner and a few ancient games that Christen didn’t recognize. The bar was illuminated by a string of lights held above, that almost gave it a majestic feel. Kind of like you’d been transported to a different place and time. “I’ve never been here before. It’s…”

“A mess?” Tobin offered.

“I think I would say special.” Christen bobbed her head, agreeing with her description.

“Yeah, it is.” Tobin agreed and nodded in Allie’s direction, “we found it randomly one day.”

“Great find,” Christen said smiling back at Tobin. 

They both fell silent, taking a sip of their beers. Christen knew she should say something but she usually relied on Nima and others to make small talk. She’d join in when she had something substantial to add but otherwise she was worried she would sound stupid. She glanced towards Nima who was in a conversation with Allie’s boyfriend. Making eye contact with Tobin again Christen shifted slightly in her seat. She looked a little uncomfortable and Tobin tried to smile reassuringly.

There were so many things Tobin wanted to know about Christen but wasn’t sure how or what to ask. Every once in a while, Christen would lean forward as she if she was going to say something before leaning back. It was nice to know she wasn’t the only one having a hard time. Clearing her throat, Tobin leaned closer, figuring since she’d invited Christen, she should make more of an effort. She wished she was more like Allie at times, able to talk to any and everyone.

“How long have you and Nima been friends?” Tobin figured that was a safe question.

“Forever, or so it seems but I think officially since middle school," Christen said.

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“Yeah, I think he tried to ditch me once or twice in high school,” Christen rolled her eyes.

“Really? I can’t imagine that. You guys seem so close?

”Shrugging her shoulder nonchalantly Christen admitted, “I wasn’t exactly popular…or cool, whatever you want to call it. Nima was and I don't think it was easy being friends with me then. I’m still not cool but...” Christen shrugged again as she took a big gulp of her beer. Without thinking about how she looked, Christen thumped her glass on the table and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“I seriously doubt that,” Tobin said seriously as she refilled Christen’s glass.

Christen smiled warmly. She appreciated Tobin’s confidence but she’d come to terms with her high school days a long time ago and made peace with it. At least she liked to pretend she had. “It’s true, you can ask Nima. But it didn’t matter, I told him, he was stuck with me and to get over himself. He did.”

Christen tried to appear cheerful and unbothered but Tobin could sense it still bothered her more than she Christen wanted to admit. Wanting to make Christen smile again, Tobin switched the conversation to something lighter. “That’s what Allie tells me all the time.”

Bemused Christen asked, “she tells you to get over yourself, all the time?”

Tobin busted out laughing, throwing her head back. Christen couldn't help but smile. Everyone at the table looked in her direction and she chose to ignore the happy look Allie shot her. Shaking her head until she trusted herself to speak, Tobin finally managed, “Oh yeah, she definitely does, all the time. But I meant, she tells me all the time I’m stuck with her, has ever since college.”

“OH!” Christen looked abashed. “Allie mentioned you guys are roommates.”

“Yea, since we moved here.”

“About two years ago. I’m…” Tobin stuttered for a minute. Unsure if she was talking too much or sharing too much information. Christen looked truly interested so she continued, “I…well, we came here for grad school.”

“That explains all the books you carry.” Christen joked. “What are you studying?”

“PT," after a second Tobin clarified, “Physical therapy”

“So you’re getting your…” Christen asked.

“Masters. Believe it or not, there is a Doctoral program but…” Tobin shook her head. She loved her program but wasn’t interested in studying for that long.

“Is Allie studying the same thing?” Christen asked.

“Oh no, she’s getting her masters in Education.”

“She wants to teach?” Christen asked.

“Yeah, she’s actually pretty good. She’s student teaching now and they love her.”

“I believe it,” Christen said glancing over her shoulder at Allie, “Do you both study at the café or just you?” Christen ducked her head to hide the blush she could feel. Even to her own ears, her question sounded invasive.

Tobin didn’t process the intuitiveness of Christen’s question because out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nima glance over and look at Christen with an expression she couldn’t read. Tobin didn’t have time to process the look because Nima turned back around and continued his conversation with Bati. Tobin turned back around to find Christen looking at her expectantly. Realizing she’d gotten distracted and been silent for too long, Tobin smiled bashfully, “umm…uh…yeah, Allie studies there sometimes but I…do a lot, I guess. If I’m there I can help out if it gets too busy.”

“That makes sense. It must be nice to work and live with your best friend,” Christen said sounding a little wistfully.

“It’s awesome! Well, most of the time, especially when she’s not annoying or embarrassing me.”

“Like, unknowingly writing your number down on a napkin,” Christen joked but immediately felt bad when Tobin noticeable stiffened.

“Yeah, like that.” Tobin sat upright and stared hard at the table, “Look, about that, I’m sorry…I…uh” Tobin didn’t know how to finish her sentence. She was positive Christen didn’t understand the implications of her name being written on the napkin and Tobin wasn’t ready to disclose her sexuality yet. It wasn’t that she was ashamed or embarrassed by her sexuality or anything but in her experience sometimes when people found out, it changed how they saw and treated her.

Tobin’s gut told her that Christen wouldn’t care and she suspected that Nima knew or at least guessed and he didn’t seem to care. Tobin would never lie about it but she wasn’t prepared to disclose it and possible risk her new friendship with Christen, at least not yet. So, she took a deep gulp of her beer and shrugged her shoulder.

Christen made a shooing motion with her hand. She really didn’t care, if anything she was grateful. “Oh no, I’m glad she did. I had such a great time today. I haven’t done anything like this in a while.” Christen admitted.

“How come?” Tobin asked truly curious.

“I…we…” Christen stopped herself. Christen studied the table and considered the question. Why didn’t she? She’d automatically been about to say that she was always busy but that really wasn’t the truth. If she was being honest, _she_ wasn’t the one always busy.

Somehow over the last couple of years, her schedule had become their schedule and it was Ronan, who between his residency, surgeries and random events was always busy. His schedule was detailed, packed and exhausting and somehow Christen had accepted it. She stopped going out because he almost never could and when they did it was almost exclusively with his friends. Christen had no doubt that he would have hated today and he would never have agreed to come to the bar.

Lately, Ronan was rebelling against the calendar. He appeared to resent it and her. He stopped telling her about things and simply ignored events she wrote down. Which angered Christen because the stupid calendar had been his idea. He’d made such a big deal about it and now that it had become her life, he no longer wanted to follow it. Not for the first time Christen wonder why she continued to follow it. Maybe because she’d become complacent? Maybe, it was easier than arguing? Maybe it was time for a change.

“I don’t really know,” Christen answered honestly. “I guess…I use to live and die by my calendar and it didn’t leave room for a lot of things and I think over time people eventually stopped asking me to do things.”

“Well, you’re having fun, right?” Tobin asked. Christen looked disheartened and Tobin wanted to make her smile again.

“I’m having a great time,” Christen agreed.

“Then, you should come again next weekend. We have another big game, it’s the semifinals and” Tobin smiled, “you’re my good luck charm.”

Blushing Christen glanced down, running her finger along a deep groove in the wood. She peeked at her phone but for the first time in a very long time, Christen fought the impulse to consult her schedule. Tilting her head to the side Christen gazed up at Tobin through her eyelashes, “yeah, okay. I’d like that.”

“Awesome!”

 

*

 

The dark sky greeted Christen as she stepped outside the bar. She didn’t realize how late it was.

Tilting her head back Christen inhaled the crisp fresh air. The seasons were starting to change. Christen loved summer but fall was her favorite season. In her mind, it signified the beginning of something new.

Christen startled when an arm locked with hers. Leaning into her, almost as if she was going to whisper something into Christen’s ear, Allie ended up hugging her awkwardly. “I’m so glad you came!”

“So am I,” Christen said truthfully. “I had a really good time. Thanks for letting us crash your evening.”

“Oh please, I should be thanking you. I’m pretty sure you had something to do with how well Harry played,” Allie bumped shoulders with Christen conspiratorially.

Christen laughed, “I doubt that but okay, fine, I’ll admit I was a little loud. I promise to be quieter next time.”

“Don’t you dare!” Allie yelled, playfully swatting at Christen’s arm. “Cheer louder if anything. I need Harry pumped.”

“Pumped for what?” Tobin asked walking up to the pair.

“Next week’s game. I was telling Christen that as our number one cheerleader, I expected her to be louder next weekend, so you’ll be extra pumped!” Allie grinned as Tobin rolled her eyes.

“Ignore her. Well, not about coming to the game, but about everything else.” Tobin suggested.

Christen looked at Allie and deadpanned, “I promise to be louder and I’ll even bring my pom-poms, so she’ll be extra pumped,” Christen winked at Tobin.

“OMG, were you a cheerleader or something?” Allie asked clearly excited by the prospect.“

“That’s fun,” Nima said coming to stand on Christen’s other side. “I can’t even imagine her in a uniform, much less cheering. Christen was always more academic than athletic. She’s pretty much the reason I passed physics,” Nima affectionately kissed Christen’s cheek.

“Just physics?” Christen asked with raised eyebrows.

“Okay, all my science classes,” Nima admitted.

“And pottery” Christen added

“That was the worst class ever. I can’t believe I let you talk me into it.” Nima said shaking his head.

“What? Pottery sounds like fun,” Allie chimed in.

“No, it doesn’t,” Tobin and Bati said simultaneously.

“Thank you, Allie,” Christen said in a superior tone. “They just don’t know how to have fun.”

Allie threw her arms around Christen and hugged her, “I like her. We should keep her.”

Tobin made eye contact with Allie, who was smirking. Tobin didn’t doubt that Allie was sincere when she said she really liked Christen but something in her tone worried Tobin. Allie was still in scheming mode. Which Tobin didn’t understand unless Allie didn’t know Christen had a boyfriend. Tobin wondered what they’d talked about. Sighing, Tobin realized she was going to have to tell Allie soon before she made things too awkward.

“Oh, what are you doing next weekend?” Allie asked excitedly. Tobin stiffened, afraid of what Allie was about to do.

“Going to your game,” Christen chuckled.

“No, afterward. Are you free? We’re having a movie night at our place” Allie motioned towards Tobin, “you guys should totally come.”

Eyes wide in shock, Tobin quickly diverted her gaze to the ground as anger blossomed within her. Tobin wished that just once Allie would talk to her before blurted things out. It wasn’t that she didn’t want Christen to come, actually it was the complete opposite but they’d only briefly discussed having movie night a couple of weeks ago and that was it. They hadn’t discussed it since. Tobin had planned on mentioning it to Allie when they got home and then inviting Christen and Nima.

Inhaling deeply Tobin reigned in her anger and scuffed her foot absently against the sidewalk. She glanced over when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

Bati chuckled quietly, squeezing Tobin’s shoulder encouragingly. He didn’t know what Allie was up to exactly but he knew his girlfriend well enough to know when she was scheming. He also knew that usually meant trouble for Tobin. Bati got the distinct impression that it had something to do with the new girl, Christen. He wasn’t sure what Allie was planning but he didn’t think it was going to work out quite the way she wanted. Either way, Tobin had his sympathy. Allie could be stubborn as a bull once she had something in her mind.

Tobin smiled gratefully at him and sighed. She told herself it wasn’t that big of a deal. As long as they were invited, did it matter who invited them? Maybe it was better this way. Tobin was sure Allie was still up to something but at least by having her as it was guaranteed to be a casual evening. Not that it wouldn’t have been anyway, Tobin reminded herself.

“Oh,” Christen’s eyes widen in surprise. She glanced quickly at Nima before nervously turning questioning eyes towards Tobin. Christen hadn’t missed the shock on Tobin’s face before she looked away. Did that mean Tobin didn’t want her to come? Tobin mentioned the game next weekend but hadn’t said anything about hanging out afterward. Her shocked expression told Christen that she might not have known about it. Christen didn’t know what to do.

After a few seconds of silence, Nima squarely turned and made eye contact with Christen, clearly signifying that the choice was hers to make.

To buy some time and partial out of habit, Christen pulled her phone out. She cringed internally as she said out loud, “let me check my calendar…” At the mention of the calendar, Christen felt Tobin’s eyes on her and could almost hear Ronan, as if he was standing next to her. _Do we always have to check the calendar?_

Christen thought about not checking but she’d already been rebellious enough for one day. Dutifully she pulled up her calendar and saw that Ronan had something blocked off for Saturday night. Christen groaned internally, it was probably another boring dinner with some attending or chief he was trying to impress.

Nima cleared his throat having glanced at Christen’s phone over her shoulder. Christen knew he was about to make excuses for them. Normally she would have been grateful, it saved her from always being the boring one. Only this time, Christen didn’t want to make excuses, she really wanted to go.

Tonight had been the most fun she’d had in a long time. In fact, Christen couldn’t remember the last time she had this much fun and the best part was they hadn’t even done anything special, just sat around and talked. Christen had felt carefree all night and she didn’t want to lose that feeling and she wanted to get to know Tobin better. She liked her. Tobin never made her feel small and silly.

Christen quickly cast a sidelong glance at Tobin who was staring at her. Tobin looked mildly uncomfortable but smiled and nodded encouragingly. “It will be fun.”

“Yeah, okay. Sounds good. I’m free.”

“Wonderful,” beaming, Allie clapped her hands together and looked at Nima expectantly.

“I…I’m in,” Nima said, working to hide his surprise. He smiled proudly at Christen. He missed this Christen, his best friend and if all of the changes he saw tonight were because of Tobin and her friends, he was all for it. He knew for a fact that under any other circumstance, Christen would have made an excuse, she would never have considered not showing up for Ronan.

Nima also wasn’t blind. He caught all the little looks Christen and Tobin had given each other when they thought the other one wasn’t looking. He was willing to bet Christen wasn’t even aware of it but he thought Tobin was been painfully aware of it. She also seemed reluctant, which made Nima wonder if she knew about Ronan.

Nima decided he wouldn’t mention it to Christen, yet. He didn’t want to jeopardize losing this new Christen. Turning to Allie, he asked, “can I invite a friend?”

“Of course, the more the merrier.” Then she pointed towards Christen, “You can coordinate with Harry during the week. This is going to be so much fun”

Nima smiled back but the whole time in his peripheral he watched Christen smiled at Tobin, who alternated between staring at her sneakers and grinning up at Christen.

“Until next weekend!” Allie hugged Nima and Christen “It was a pleasure meeting you guys! Christen make sure you come by the café soon!” Allie grabbed Bati’s hand and started to walk away. Almost as an afterthought, she asked, “Harry, are you coming with…or?”

“We did ride to the game together,” Tobin said sarcastically.

“Well, say goodnight Harry and come…” Allie squealed as Bati pulled her away, calling over his shoulder, “We’ll be at the car, Tobs.”

“Thanks, buddy,” Tobin smiled and turned to Christen, “Sorry about her. She has a really big heart but can be pushy sometimes.”

“I like her,” Christen said reassuringly and Tobin smiled back. It meant more to her than it should that Christen liked Allie, a lot more. Tobin realized she was staring again and turned her focus on Nima.

“Thanks, for coming and you know explaining the game to this one” Tobin gestured towards Christen.

“Hey!” Christen tried to hit Tobin’s arm but she ducked away.

Nima laughed, “It was a good game, I’m glad we came.

“So am I”

“Looking forward to the next weekend,” Nima said sincerely.

“Hopefully that will be a good game too. Thanks again,” Tobin held out her hand, unsure of what else do to.

“We should go, I have to work tomorrow,” Christen said apologetically.

“Yeah, I’m beat. Thanks again,” Tobin shifted. She wanted to hug Christen but worried it was too soon. Christen seemed taken aback at Allie’s hug and Tobin didn’t want to overstep her boundaries. 

Luckily for her, Christen leaned in and wrapped her arms around her neck. Tobin’s arms automatically wrapped around her waist. She tilted her head and inhaled Christen’s scent. She smelled both fresh and sweet. “Thanks again, I had a great time,” Christen whispered into her ear.

“Thanks for cheering so loud. I told you, you're my good luck charm.”

“You’re amazing. It had nothing to do with me.”

Lightly blushing Tobin stepped back. She hoped Christen would never know how wrong she was. The whole game Tobin had played extra hard, secretly trying to impress Christen. “I’d better go. If Allie hasn’t already left, she’ll come back for me and no one wants that.”

Christen laughed, “yeah, I understand. I should get Nima back. I’m sure he has plans.” She took a few steps back and then stopped, “I’ll see you soon?”

“Morning Glory, I’ll be there.”

“Chin up Buttercup?”

Tobin stopped in her retreat and looked quizzically at Christen.

Laughing again Christen said, “the cookie, can you save me one?

“Of course.”

 

 


	5. Box Abuse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy....so....I'm finally updating...and yeah...  
> I've split this chapter into to parts because I don't understand brevity and wanted to get an update out.  
> I also want to thank my proof reader ;-)
> 
> I hope to have the second part of the chapter up by this weekend. Feel free to help keep me honest. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

*

 

“Just a little bit more to the left.”

“Seriously?” came the exasperated shriek a second before there was a resounding thud.

“Or…right there is perfect,” Allie said congenially.

Bent over at the waist, forearms braced against the armrest of the couch she’d been forced to drag up, Tobin dropped her head between her shoulders and fought to catch her breath.

“Why?” Mana gasped out as she slumped against the back of the burdensome couch.

“Movie night” Allie said like it was obvious.

“I _know_ that” Mana said sharply. “but _why_ did we,” Mana slapped the offending mass of fabric and wood, “have to drag this…this…”

“Couch? Monstrosity? Unnecessary object?” Tobin suggested.

“First of all, it is not a couch, it’s a love seat,” Allie clarified causing Tobin’s head to drop back in annoyance as understanding dawned on her. Unbothered by Tobin’s reaction Allie continued, “second of all, we need the extra seating space.”

“What about the pillows we normally use?” Mana huffed out.

“We invited some new friends and don’t have enough,” and with that declaration Allie spun on the balls of her feet and flounced away.

“I could have brought some.” Mana shouted at Allie’s back before she disappeared into the stairwell leading back downstairs to the apartment. “It would’ve been easier,” Mana finished in a mumble. Mystified Mana turned sharp eyes on Tobin holding her hands out begging for an explanation. Tobin shook her head briefly, she should have known better.

Movie night wasn’t a new thing, they’d periodically done it over the last couple of years, and it was fun. They’d go to the rooftop of their building and set out a bunch of rugs, blankets, mats, pillows _including_ the pillows from their couch, anything that softened the hard surface.  It wasn’t just them, all of their friends brought blankets and pillows. It wasn’t the same as a movie theater but it was comfortable.

But tonight, Allie demanded that they bring the couch, and yes, the couch because that’s what Tobin called it. It had annoyed Tobin more than anything else, and distracted by her anger Tobin hadn’t thought to question why Allie was insisting. Now, especially after hearing Allie call the couch a _love seat_ , the pieces of the puzzle were falling together and now with the picture almost complete, everything was making perfect sense.

Reluctantly Tobin meet Mana’s expectant eyes. “I think, no I’m pretty sure she’s trying to set me up with Chris.”

“Uh?” Mana stared at Tobin incredulously, “Why?”

Tobin smirked at Mana’s expression and explained, “Chris as in Christen. You know the girl from the café.”

Tobin waited patiently for Mana to put the pieces together. After all she’d been there the first time Tobin talked to Christen and she saw Christen at the bar last week after the game.

Brows furrowed Mana tried to picture who Tobin was talking about but she kept drawing blanks until she shook her head in defeat, “which girl?”

“You know _my friend_ , the girl who took my spot,” Tobin mumbled, her fingertips dug into the fabric of the arm rest.

“Oh, right…” Mana said in dawning recollection as she tried to contain her smile, failing miserably and eventually gave into a chortle.

Allie’s schemes were legendary. Unfortunately, they were mostly legendary for how spectacularly they failed. Mana truly believed that Allie usually meant well but none of her plans ever worked out well for her prey, especially not when that prey was Tobin.

Mana knew Allie and Tobin were best friend. There was no doubt that Allie loved Tobin more than anything, maybe even herself. Time and time again Allied had proven there wasn’t much she wouldn’t do for her best friend but Mana wondered if Tobin wished Allie would mind her own business and stop interfering in her life. Mana knew she would if she was Tobin.

“You mean buttercup?” Mana asked, making Tobin laugh. Mana was making reference to the cookie but Tobin didn’t think Christen would appreciate the nickname. She could just picture Christen scrunching her noise in distaste.

“Yeah, her, and her name is Christen…or Chris, I guess.” She’d never actually used the shortened name but heard Nima use it often and couldn’t help but wonder if Christen preferred it.

Abruptly Tobin stood, she had that unsettled restless feeling, that came lately whenever she thought about Christen.

“Wait, doesn’t she have a boyfriend?” Mana asked flopping down on the couch.

Tobin hated the way her heart seized at the word boyfriend. She also hated the surprised look she shot Mana’s way. Mana had only said the truth but Tobin was curious as to how she knew. Had Christen brought him to their… Briefly closing her eyes Tobin got a hold of herself. It wasn’t their café. It was a coffee shop they both went to and the quicker she wrapped her mind around that, the better it would be for everyone.

Misinterpreting Tobin’s look or maybe completely understanding it, Mana added, “the tanned, dark-haired boy? The one with slightly wavy hair?”

Tobin forced herself to try and remember what Christen’s boyfriend looked like but she’d really only saw him that one time and even then, she’d mostly seen him from the back. From what she could remember he was tall with a crew cut and definitely wasn’t tanned.

“He was in Glory with her.” Mana added.

Tobin’s stomach painfully clinched at the thought of Christen bringing her boyfriend to the café which only served to piss Tobin off. She shouldn’t be responding this way, more importantly she didn’t have the right to feel the way she felt.  So, what if Christen brought him to the café, she had every right, in fact Tobin should be happy that she was bringing more customers to Morning Glory but she wasn’t. She felt anything but grateful, she actually felt betrayed. Which was crazy because…it just was.

“Yeah, they came in this week, I think on Wednesday.”

Absorbed with her own thoughts, Tobin almost missed what Mana said. Surprised Tobin snapped her gaze back to Mana. Once her words fully registered, Tobin sighed in relief. _Nima._ Mana was talking about Nima. Christen told her they were going but unfortunately Tobin wasn’t there that day. Nodding her head Tobin said, “That’s her best friend, Nima but yeah, she does…have a boyfriend.”

Starting to understand the problem, Mana silently sat up and regarded Tobin, “I’m guessing Allie doesn’t know.”

“Doesn’t seem like it,” Tobin agreed.

Mana grimaced, “are you going to tell her?”

Expressionless Tobin gingerly slid onto the arm rest and sighed heavily. She’d been avoiding this but she’d put it off as long as she could. Now was the time. She was going to have to tell Allie the truth about Christen. She didn’t want to, didn’t want to think about Christen having a boyfriend, or any significant other for that matter, but Tobin desperately wanted to stop all of Allie’s scheming before it escalated and got completely out of hand and potentially damaged her budding friendship with Christen. Uncharacteristically, Tobin indulged in a small tantrum fit, kicking her feet as she physically tried to release all of her emotions.

“Tell who what?” Allie asked as she walked behind the loveseat, “and what is wrong with you?”

Mana glanced nervously at Tobin, she wasn’t sure how to answer Allie’s questions.  It was clear that neither of them had heard Allie approaching. Mana felt bad, she realized the awkward position Tobin was in and she didn’t know how to help her.

Shrugging Tobin gave Mana a reassuring smile. She’d already decided to talk to Allie and there was no time like the present. Making eye contact Tobin answered Allie’s first question, “you, we need to talk.”

Taking that as her cue to leave Mana gently squeezed Tobin’s shoulder and whispered, “good luck buddy!” as she walked to the staircase. Sometimes Mana envied the bond between Tobin and Allie but nights like tonight she was grateful for the distance in their friendship. She didn’t have to worry about Allie interfering in the life and hoped it would never happened.

“Ohh…kayy,” eyebrows raised in confusion, Allie drew out each syllable as she threw a worried look over her shoulder in the direction Mana had just disappeared. “Is everything okay with Man?”

Tobin smiled at Allie’s obvious concern. She really was a caring person maybe too much of a caring person.

“She’s fine. It’s not about her.”

“What’s wrong then? You’re not breaking up with me, are you?” Allie joked, earning her an eye roll from Tobin. She’d been ignoring the question for years.

“We need to talk about Christen,” Tobin started, figuring the direct approach would work best with Allie.

“What happened? Is she okay?” Allie interjected before Tobin could continue.

“She’s fine. Well, I think she’s fine.” Tobin said quickly rushing to ease Allie’s genuine concern. “That’s not the point. That’s not what I need to talk to you about.”

“Then what? Did she change her mind? Are they not coming anymore?” Allie asked eyeing the loveseat confirming Tobin’s earlier suspicions.

“No, nothing like that. I want to talk about you and your stupid match making, set upping, scheme,” Tobin toed the couch non-to gently to emphasize her point.

Allie was momentarily speechless and did her best to look innocent. Not wanting to admit to anything, Allie decided to deflect, “set upping? Is that even a real word?”

“Don’t.” Tobin sighed. “I’m being serious.”

Allie stood still warily watching Tobin, trying to gage just how mad she was. One second passed and then another because Tobin half smiled and shook her head. “I’m glad you didn’t try to deny it.”

Allie shrugged a shoulder with all the indifference she could muster, “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

“Harry,” Tobin rolled her eyes, “I’m talking about the napkin with _my_ name and number on it. I’m talking about _you_ inviting Christen to movie night, the same night we hadn’t even discussed yet. And I’m definitely talking about your crazy insistence that we bring this stupid…stupid…thingy all the way up here.” Tobin not so gently tapped the couch again.

“Hey, that’s mine, don’t kick it and it’s not a ‘thingy’ it’s a love se…” Allie swallowed the rest of the word, looking both guilty and defiant, “and I thought you wanted movie night…”

“I did. That’s not the point.”

“Then what is the point?”

“The point is, I know what you’re trying to do Alexandra,” Tobin pointedly ignored Allie grimacing at the use of her full name, “and maybe, maybe I would appreciate it if Christen didn’t have a boyfriend, but she does.”  

Tobin let the last words hang between them. The seconds ticked by as Allie’s features changed from shock to mid suspicion. “How…how do you know?”

“Just do,” Tobin answered vaguely. She really didn’t want to admit to eavesdropping.

“Really? Because she didn’t mention anything to me about it.” Allie countered rolling her eyes.

“Don’t know what to tell ya buddy,” Tobin shrugged, “but she definitely has a boyfriend which means I’m def not her type.”

They stared at each other in silence until Allie sighed, tangling her fingers in her long strands and tugged gently on the end of her pony tail; a clear sign that she was uncomfortable.

Allie was shocked but she knew when Tobin was lying and this wasn’t one of those times. Tobin always said she wasn’t someone’s type and Allie had always assumed it was a defense mechanism more than truth but it was obvious that Tobin really meant it this time. It saddened Allie because she just wanted her best friend to be happy.

“I’m sorry, Harry. I just assumed…” Allie couldn’t bring herself to finish. She believed Tobin was speaking the truth when she said Christen had a boyfriend. It just wasn’t the type of thing Tobin would lie about. At the same time Allie knew what she’d seen and she knew her best friend enough to know when Tobin was interested and there was no mistake; Tobin Heath had a crush, and she didn’t think Tobin was the only one.

Allie was good at reading people and would’ve bet money she didn’t have that Christen was more than just platonically interested in Tobin. She’d might even go as far as to say Christen had a crush. Allie understood why Tobin couldn’t or wouldn’t allow herself to see or believe that, especially since Christen had a boyfriend.

Allie suspected that there was more, that it wasn’t just the boyfriend that was making Tobin ignore her feelings but she wasn’t going to push it anymore because Tobin could be as stubborn as a bull and unmovable as an inanimate object. Allie need to see if she had any damage control to do because no matter what her beliefs were, she didn’t want to make anything awkward for Tobin or inadvertently push Tobin away from Christen.

“Do you want me to cancel?” Allie asked surveying the area. She’d gone through a lot of trouble trying to make this “movie night” as romantic as possible and it might be a moot point now but she didn’t want all of their hard work to go to waste. She still wanted to host movie night, even though her stint as Cupid had been foiled, she was truly looking forward to this evening.  

“No, Cupid,” Tobin smirked at Allie knowingly. “I just want you to stop your scheming. I like Christen and Nima. I want us to be friends with them and I’m glad they’re coming.” Walking past her, Tobin gently pulled on her ponytail, “I just need you to chill.”

Allie fought to hide her slight blush. Cupid, Tobin had called her cupid. Sometimes Allie swore Tobin could read her mind. She loved and hated that Tobin knew her so well, it was a curse and a blessing. Today, it was a curse.  

“I would’ve invited them myself.” Tobin said adding a little steel to her voice hoping to make her point clear, “but I would’ve checked with you first. You know like we normally do!”

“I get it Harry!” Allie rolled her eyes. “I get it! I promise to behave myself, from now on.”

Tobin hoped that Allie really meant that but she knew it was only a matter of time before Allie started all over again. She just couldn’t help herself.

 “Since you…we…won’t be needing this anymore, do you want to bring it back down stars?” Allie asked pointing at the couch.

“NO!” Tobin practically yelled, “no, no it’s staying. It can definitely stay.” Tobin eyed the offending object before linking her arm with Allie’s and mumbled, “permanently.”

“What?”

“Nothing,” Tobin said deftly maneuvering them towards the stairwell. “Come on, I want to take a shower before everyone arrives.”

Allie’s eyes lingered sadly on the love seat. Normally she would’ve made fun of Tobin but she kept her comments to herself this time. There was no point, especially not after the conversation they had. If Tobin wasn’t willing to admit her feelings, Allie knew she couldn’t make her. All she could do was be there for her when she was ready.

 

 

*

 

Sighing in contentment, Tobin stretched her legs out in front of her. Reluctantly Tobin thought Allie was a genius for bringing the couch up, it was a thousand times more comfortable than any of the mats and blankets on the floor. Not that she’d ever tell Allie.

Sipping her beer Tobin refused to glance at her apple watch. It was still early, she was just…, well she wasn’t really sure what she was. She was a bundle of emotions. She wasn’t exactly anxious but she wasn’t really nervous either. Excited was probably the right word. She was really looking forward to seeing Christen…Nima and Christen again. Tobin found that if she thought of them as a team, said their names together, it helped to keep her crush at bay. Well, at least Tobin liked to think it did.

“You know you could help,” Allie said her hands full with snacks.

“All ready did,” Tobin patted the couch with one hand and grinned.

Allie gave her a one finger solute and spent the next ten minutes or so fretting over the food. Tobin’s thoughts drifted back to their earlier conversation. A part of Tobin was relieved that Allie knew the truth about Christen but another part of her wish she hadn’t said anything. Knowledge changed things, changed people and now that Allie knew the truth about Christen it changed things.

It would definitely put an end to Allie’s scheming, at least regrading Christen, which had been exactly what Tobin wanted but what she hated and didn’t want was the way it had also changed how Allie looked at her. It was inadvertent and subtle and Allie probably didn’t even realize it but Tobin recognized the signs and hated it.

It was in the way Allie’s gaze lingered on her, the delicate narrowing of her eyes in a mixture of worry and something akin to pity. It wasn’t the worry that bothered her but the pity, Tobin hated it. She wasn’t fragile. Yeah, she’d been hurt but who hadn’t?

Allie certainly had. Tobin remembered all the tears she shed over her former boyfriends and never once had Tobin felt anything but sympathy for best friend. Rubbing her eyes, Tobin realized she was being unfair. She didn’t really think Allie pitied her, maybe a little, but what really bothered Tobin was that Allie worried all the time about her and nothing she said or did seemed to make her stop. It made Tobin feel guilty, which she hated.

Exhaling deeply Tobin took another sip of her beer. She knew she could make more of an effort. She could go out more often, try and meet new people, maybe even go on a date or two and ease some of Allie’s fears. She knew she should but the only problem was, Tobin didn’t really want to and wouldn’t even know where to start if she did. Except for Christen it had been so long since she meet anyone she had any interest in, platonic or romantic.

 _Ding-Dong. Ding-Dong._ Tobin glanced in Allie’s direction and saw her phone light up in her back pocket. Bati had managed to tap into the intercom system so that when someone rang the bell downstairs, Allie’s phone rang. It was amusing because the door bell was the only thing that worked with the new and supposedly expensive intercom system. At least that’s what the landlord had said last year when he raised their rent.

The intercom sucked, it simply didn’t work. No matter which buttons they pressed, the front door never unlocked. Instead they were forced to go downstairs and let people in. Which might not have been so bad, expect for the fact that they lived on the fourth floor of a five story walk up. Going downstairs to get someone, got old, fast.

“I’ll, get it,” Tobin said standing. She was just being a good friend. _Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that buddy._

 

*

Sometime after her fourth or fifth trip downstairs and a robust cursing of the intercom system, Tobin finally had the bright idea to prop the door open. It was against building policy and normally Tobin understood why. The neighborhood wasn’t unsafe but it wasn’t exactly the place you wanted to prop a door open either but Tobin couldn’t give a damn at the moment. She was tired of walking up and down and since Bati had arrived early there was no way Allie was going to leave his side.

After letting in two of her teammates, Tobin examined the area for any object that looked like it could prop a door open. Her eyes settled on a dusty, mildew box full of a bunch of unidentified objects stashed in the far back corner of the entry way. It was the only thing that seemed remotely useful.

The box had been there for as long as Tobin could remember. She didn’t think anyone would mind if she temporarily moved it. After everyone arrived she’d move it back to its final resting place.

Hesitantly Tobin studied the box before briefly tapping it with her foot. She was ninety-nine, okay, maybe more like ninety-five percent sure there was nothing alive in the box. To be sure Tobin kicked it a little bit harder and no she did not jump back.

Once satisfied that no monsters were secretly hiding, she examined the contents. Tobin thought she recognized a few old books and that was it, everything else was covered in layers of dust but it did look heavy and sturdy enough to keep a door propped open.

Unwilling to touch the box, Tobin decided to kick it to the door. The first kick, resulted in a volcano of dirty and dust that left Tobin coughing and searching for fresh air. Covering her nose with her shirt, Tobin managed to kick the box most of the way to the door when it suddenly groaned most unpleasantly. Groaning in frustration, Tobin walked around and saw that the box was snagged on the uneven carpet. Tobin made a mental note to talk to Allie about looking for a new apartment.

Opening the door with, Tobin used her foot as a door stopper as she leaned over and reluctantly tugged the front of the box. Immediately her fingers felt wet and dirty and she couldn’t wait to wash her hands. Desperately trying to keep the box from touching any other part of her body, Tobin grunted as she managed to get the box over the uneven carpet and in front of the door. It was so close, she just need another few inches and she could let go.

“Uh…Tobin?”

Surprised, Tobin quickly spun around. She almost lost her balance and feel into the box. That would have been devastating not to mention disgusting. She would have had to taken a shower and changed her clothes. Tobin could admit she was lazy and hated the idea of having to do all of that work all over again. Not to mention Tobin was slightly embarrassed to admit how long it had taken her to choose what she was wearing.

“Uh…” Tobin flushed as she quickly glanced from Christen to Nima before her eyes traveled back to where Christen’s hand cupped her elbow, basically saving her from tumbling into the box. Tobin was intently focused on the sensation of Christen’s hand. More startling then Christen’s sudden appearance was the exquisite pleasure of Christen’s fingers touching her bare skin and Tobin’s body reacted in ways that she didn’t want to think about.

“You okay?” Christen asked tentatively. The clear worry on her face snapped Tobin out of her reverie. Tired of people worrying about her, Tobin pulled her arm away with more gusto than she intended and immediately regretted it.

Christen took a step back as her smile gave way to a wounded expression that made Tobin feel even guiltier. _Great_ , if she wasn’t worrying her friends she was hurting them.

Cursing herself Tobin blurted out, “the stupid…thingy doesn’t work…so…,” while gesturing wildly between the intercom and the box, whose corner was struggling to keep the door open.

Chuckling nervously, Tobin attempted a relax smile. She was about to say something else when she finally noticed that a boy was standing next to Nima.

A roller coaster of emotions came to life within Tobin. Her stomach didn’t exactly drop but it was rolling with nervous trepidation. Tobin always knew this day was a possibility but she’d been hoping to avoid it. Grimacing Tobin tried to convince herself that there was no time like the present. At least now she wouldn’t have to stress over meeting him anymore.

“Hey Tobin,” Nima spoke up, “this is my friend Basil. Basil, this is one of the hostess, Tobin.”

A subtly shift in his tone caught Tobin’s attention. Nima made Tobin uncomfortable at times. It wasn’t that he wasn’t nice to her, but there was something about him that gave Tobin the distinct impression that he knew more than he should. Almost as if he could see through all of her smoke screens and knew exactly how she really felt. For someone who was trying to hide her true emotions, it was very unsettling.

“Oh hey, nice to meet you.” Tobin replied as relief coursed through her body. Stepping aside, Tobin pushed the door wide open, “Come on in. You can find Allie upstairs on the roof with everyone else. Just follow all the noise.”

“Hey,” Basil nodded at Tobin as he followed Nima inside. Christen lingered behind her eyes tinted with worry as she watched the boys clamber up the stairs, “Allie said it would be okay to bring friends…”

“It’s all good” Tobin interpreted with a smiled. She knew she was acting strange. She thought she’d been prepared for Christen but her sudden appearance had thrown Tobin off her equilibrium. She’d been waiting for Christen all say and now that she was here, Tobin didn’t know what to say or do. It was like she was a teenager again.

“Yeah?” Christen asked hopefully. “I mean, Allie said it was fine but I should have checked with you too.”

Tobin kept smiling but her mind was racing with a thousand questions. When had Christen and Allie talked? Was it today or before? Had Allie said anything about her? Had Allie said anything _embarrassing_ about her? Why hadn’t Christen asked her?

“Yeah, it’s cool.” Tobin managed to say and was proud of herself for responding with semi-coherent answers. “Everyone’s welcome as long as their cool. A lot of people bring their friends.”

“Oh, are a lot of people here?” Tobin heard Christen’s anxiety and immediately wanted to ease her nervousness.

“Not really. It’s mostly girls from the team. You met some of them at the bar.” Reaching out Tobin cupped Christen’s elbow, mimicking her earlier movement and lead her inside with whispered words of encouragement. “It’ll be okay.”

Once Christen was passed her, Tobin kicked the box a couple more times until she was satisfied that it was positioned far enough in the door way to keep the door open.

“What did the box do to you?” Christen asked with an amused smile. 

Tobin’s lips twitched as she tried to keep her smile at bay. “It was being lazy and wouldn’t go near the door.”

“ _IT_ was being lazy?” Christen arched an eyebrow in disbelief.

“Fine, Allie is being lazy.”

“She’s not even here,” Christen chuckled. 

“Exactly.”

“So, it’s Allie’s fault that you’re abusing that poor helpless box?”

“It’s not a helpless box” Tobin mumbled, “but yes. The thingy…” Tobin motioned towards the door again. She knew what it was called, she promised she did, but for some reason it was eluding her.

“You mean the intercom?” Christen asked.

“Yeah, that,” Tobin nodded shyly. She was embarrassed that she couldn’t remember the word.

Christen grinned at Tobin and couldn’t help but think that shy Tobin was so cute. The errant thought caught Christen slightly off guard. Something tickled within her subconscious, a felting thought but before she could grasp hold of it, it was gone.

“Yeah, it’s been broken for months. It doesn’t unlock the door, so when people come over we have to let them in. It’s no big deal and normally Allie and I take turns but since Bati is here…” Tobin finished with a shrug. It was mid rant that Tobin realized exactly how on edge she’d been all afternoon. It was unlike her to let simple things, like the door situation get to her.

Tobin had felt off all day long but now standing here in an old dusty foyer, talking about a stupid, old, mildew box, she felt more like herself than she had in days. Tobin didn’t like to lie to herself, and as much as she wanted to attribute her change in attitude to having temporarily solved the door problem, she knew that wasn’t the reason.

Tobin knew that despite all of her best efforts, she could attribute her change in temperament to the person currently standing in front of her. She wasn’t exactly at ease, in fact she was nervous, but she felt more alive, in the moment then she had in a very long time, which sent off warning bells in her mind. Refusing to give in, Tobin pushed snooze for the night. She’d worry about her feelings tomorrow or the day after, or a month from now. Tobin was determined to enjoy these simple moments for as long as she could manage.

“Come on, let’s go up.” Tobin placed a hand on the small of Christen’s back directing her towards the staircase, “Come on, let’s go up.”

“So the broken intercom is why you’re abusing that poor defensive box” Christen joked as she allowed Tobin to lead her towards the stairs.

“I didn’t abuse the box!” Tobin protested, very aware that she was grinning like a fool. This by far was one of the most ridiculous conversations she’d had in a while and she was best friends with Allie, so that was saying something. No matter how ridiculous it was, Tobin was enjoying herself, more than she ever want to admit, especially to herself.

“If anything, I’m the one being abused.” Tobin countered.  

“How do you figure?” Christen half asked, half laughed as she stepped on to the first step and looked down at Tobin.

“My..." Tobin temporarily got lost in the green hues of Christen's eyes. Clearing her throat Tobin managed, "my legs are being abused.”

“How?” Christen took another step up as she laughed even harder.

“They’re being forced up and down the stairs repeatedly.” Tobin openly stared up at Christen and allowed herself the moment to truly appreciate Christen’s beauty.

“But you play soccer! Aren’t your legs used to being used?”

“So that makes it alright?” Tobin asked with as much seriousness as she could muster as she finally took her first step up, bringing her closer to Christen. She knew she was playing with fire but at that exact moment she didn't really care. 

Still laughing Christen held her hands up in surrender, “okay, fine.” She grasped Tobin’s hand and tugged, “come on, we better get you upstairs so you can rest your poor abused legs.”

"Oh now, you're worried about my abused legs"

Looking over her shoulder, Christen smirked, "no, not really. It was just a ploy to get you away from that poor, helpless, box."

 


	6. A Pillow and a Pea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!
> 
> So my New Year's Resolution is to not tell any more lies about updates. Let's see how long that last. Sorry for the delay it just took me forever to write this chapter and it's pretty bad so I apologize in advance. Anyway, enjoy!

Holding the roof door open Tobin motioned Christen forward. Glancing back, Tobin checked to see if anyone was coming. She was seriously reconsidering leaving the front door propped open. After all, they weren’t the only people who lived here, and she’d been guilt-ridden if something bad happened because of her. Tobin was about to go back downstairs when she heard, “oomph.”

Turning around she wasn’t that surprised to find Allie plastered to Christen’s back, her arms around the smaller girl’s middle. It was typical Allie.

Smiling, Tobin was about to say something about Christen needing air when she was suddenly jostled forward by the forgotten roof door. Quickly stepping left, Tobin just barely avoided colliding into the two girls.

You’re here! I’m so glad you could make it!”, Allie said enthusiastically

“Oh,” Christen managed after a few seconds, “um,” as she stared at Tobin with wide surprised eyes. Grinning, Tobin couldn’t help but think how cute Christen looked, as she awkwardly patted Allie’s arms.

“Harry,” Tobin said trying to get her best friend’s attention. She empathized with Christen, she really did. Tobin knew first hand just how overwhelming Allie could be. Not one for causal touches or hugs herself, Tobin had eventually adjusted to Allie’s brand of friendship, it had taken time but now, she’d be lost without all of Allie’s random hugs.

Pulling back Allie hooked her arm with Christen’s, “Welcome to our abode. Well really the building rooftop, but ya know. Did Harry get a chance to show you our apartment?”

“Nope, we came right up.” Tobin answered.  

“Well, another time, then, and welcome to H & H Rooftop Cinema. Movies with the best view in town.” Allie said.

“H & H?” Tobin asked with raised eyebrows. Every time they did this, Allie came up with a new name, it all depended on her mood.

“Harry & Harry,” Allie said like it was obvious.

“H & H Cinemas…” Christen mused. “I like it.”

“It does have a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? We should think about this more,” Allie said to Tobin who rolled her eyes in response.

Smiling Christen watched the two best friends and decided to play along with Allie, “so, what movie is playing tonight?”

Delighted Allie grinned, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” Tobin rolled her eyes because she should’ve known. Out of all the Harry Potter movies this one was Allie’s favorite.

Laughing Allie pointed to the left, “snacks and drinks are over there. Beers are in the blue cooler, water and other stuff in the white, and there’s some wine on the table. Some might be in the coolers, also I’m not sure…”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Christen reaching into her bag, pulling out the bottle of wine she picked up earlier, “uh…this is for you guys, you know…a thank you for having us.” Glancing around Chirsten looked for Nima, “We also brought something from the Treat house, did Nima give them to you?”

Christen knew there was no reason to worry because Nima’s manners were impeccable and he would never forget something like that. Honestly, Christen just wanted the comfort of seeing a familiar face. She felt out of place standing with Allie and Tobin.

“Yes, he did. I told him to place them on the snack table.” Allie took the bottle from Christen's outstretched arm, “and thanks, you really didn’t have to.”

“You’re welcome, and thanks again for inviting us. Nima and I really appreciate it and we brought a friend, I hope that’s okay…,” feeling herself starting to ramble Christen shut her mouth. She didn’t know why it was so hard to act normal, sometimes. Whatever “normal” was.

“Of course, the more the merrier,” Allie said studying Christen. Tobin caught the shift in Allie’s eyes but before she could say anything, Allie cleared her throat and asked conversationally, “Your boyfriend couldn’t make it?”

Tobin shot Allie a warning look. She didn’t want Allie to bring this up, in fact Tobin would prefer to avoid the subject completely if she could. Tobin hoped the question seemed innocuous and reasonable to Christen but because she knew the real reason behind Allie’s question, it made Tobin want to kick her.

“Oh…uh…” Christen stammered, surprised by the question. “Um…no, he had to work,” She replied softly and lowered her head.

Silently Tobin watched Christen, puzzled by her reaction. Tobin knew why she didn’t want to hear about Christen’s boyfriend, but she was starting to wonder why Christen never mentioned him. There was something off about it, something was going on there, but Tobin wouldn’t push. Even though she didn’t want to hear about, Tobin still hoped that one day Christen would trust her enough to talk about it.

As the seconds ticked by and the air became stifled with tension, Tobin turned to Allie, her eyes demanding she fill the growing silence, but Allie was too busy studying Christen to notice Tobin. Allie’s eyes were narrowed, and Tobin knew she’d found Christen response strange also.

Over the situation, Tobin reached out and pinched Allie’s arm, trying to get her attention.

“Ow,” Allie exclaimed, rubbing the sore spot as she glared at Tobin. Glaring back, Tobin slightly tilted her head in Christen’s direction. She knew Allie got her message when she turned and smiled brightly, almost too brightly. “Well, maybe another time. Thanks again for the wine and please make yourself comfortable. We’re so glad you’re here. We’ll probably start the movie in an hour or so,” and with a sparing glance in Tobin’s direction, Allie walked away.

Tobin swore she could kill Allie sometimes. Sighing, Tobin faced Christen, who was nervously playing with her fingers. Tobin fought down the overwhelming urge to comfort Christen by taking her in arms and hugging her. To just touch her in some way, if for no other reason than to ensure herself that Christen was okay. Startled by her own thoughts, Tobin ran a hand over her head, pushing back her hair and blurted out the first thing she could think of. “S0…which treats did you bring?”

Tobin kept from blushing through sheer will alone. She hated when she sounded like an complete idiot, but the grateful smile Christen flashed her way, made it all worth it.

“You know, I’m not even sure. Nima picked them out.”

Without a second thought, Tobin turned towards the snack table, grasped Christen’s hand and with a slight tug said, “well, leggo.” Smiling Christen willingly followed behind her.

*

Allie stood a few feet away and silent watched Tobin led Christen away. Her eyes were intently focused on their joined hands. Sure, two friends could hold hands. Allie held hands all the time with her friends. It wasn’t a big deal and no one else probably even noticed but Allie knew better. It wasn’t a big deal for her, but for Tobin…it meant something. With a worried frown, Allie wondered if even Tobin realized how much that simple act said. Then Allie remembered their earlier conversation and thought that Tobin was probably very aware. Sighing, Allie turned and went in search of Bati.

*

Resting her head against the back of the couch, Tobin closed her eyes, relaxing the voices around her fade to soft background noise. Movie night was one of Tobin’s favorite nights and tonight was no exception.

Tobin couldn’t say exactly why she enjoyed these nights so much, other than the fact that she was surrounded by friends and teammates, the people that formed her her family away from home. The easy sense of comradery always soothed that place inside her that was constantly filled with loneliness.

Feeling the couch dip Tobin grinned figuring it was Mana. They decided earlier that afternoon as an award for all of their hard work they were claiming the couch for themselves. Mana had even forced Allie to put a reserved sign down.

“You look happy,” Eyes snapping open, Tobin turned her head to find Christen seated next to her, one leg tucked under her and her fingers tangled with each other in her lap.

Tobin studied the movement and realized it was a nervous habit. Turning to face Christen directly, she wondered what had her on edge.

“Yeah, I love being outside. You okay?” Tobin asked keeping her focus off Christen’s fingers because the longer she watched them the more she wanted to reach over and take them between her hands.

“Oh, um…yeah,” Christen asked, as she stopped fidgeting. “Why?”

“You seem...a little on edge,” Tobin answered honestly.

Sighing, Christen leaned back and stared out over the rooftop. “Yea, there are just a lot of people here. I’m mean I figured there would be but, I’m just not good in social settings. I never know what to say and always end up saying the wrong thing. I’m just hopeless.”

“You’re not that bad,” Tobin chuckled but felt a twinge of guilt. After they’d gotten something to drink and eat, Tobin had left Christen by Nima’s side and went to mingle with some of her teammates. She’d thought about introducing Christen around, but figured she’d be more comfortable staying with her best friend.

“That bad?” Christen grimaced, “that makes me feel better,”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” Tobin chuckled and stretched her hand along the back of the couch. “Seriously,” Tobin grinned at Christen’s disbelieving face. “Maybe you’re a little shy but there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“That’s a nice way of putting it.”

“No, seriously think about it. We’re friends because of you and look, you do fine with me…and Allie,” Tobin said.

Christen shook her head but smiled shyly as they fell into a comfortable silence. Tobin leaned her head against her arm, closing her eyes, knowing she should say something but was honestly enjoying this moment. This shared existence of being in the same place with Christen.

“It’s a beautiful night,” Christen said and Tobin opened her eyes to find Christen staring up at the darkening sky. Tobin used the moment to study Christen unobserved and again was amazed by her beauty.

It wasn’t just her physical beauty but there was something within her, a softness, gentleness about her that called to Tobin. Sitting up, she slowly eased away before she did something she couldn’t take back. Heart pounding in her chest, palms sweaty, Tobin pulled her knees to her chest, instinctively trying to protect herself, like most times, from herself.

Tobin knew she was in trouble. Her responses to Christen were getting stronger and harder to ignore. It was only a matter of time before her feelings were obvious and not for the first time Tobin wondered if she should be honest with Christen about her sexuality.

It wasn’t that she hide her sexuality but she didn’t go out of her way to announce it either.. In fact, Tobin preferred for it to happen organically but the more they hung out the more Tobin felt like she was hiding something from Christen and she hated it. Everyone important in her life knew and she wanted Christen to be a part of her life. It felt like there was a secret everyone knew but Christen and Tobin didn’t want to do that to her. She had a feeling Christen would’ve hated that.

Resting her head on her knees, Tobin glanced towards Christen, afraid she’d been quiet for too long. Christen was looking at her with a concerned smile. Giving Christen a reassuring smile Tobin decided then that she would tell Christen soon, just not right now.

“When will the movie start?” Christen asked and Tobin appreciated that she hadn’t asked what she’d been thinking about.

“Soon, I think,” Tobin said, searching for Allie.

“I have a question,” Christen asked, her tone serious. Tobin froze, breath caught in her throat. It was going to happen. Christen was going to call her out. Unable to speak, Tobin just nodded.

“Where did you even get a projector from?” Christen asked with genuine curiosity.

Exhaling, Tobin released a relieved chuckled as she looked at the projector. She remembered the first time Allie had suggested they do this. Tobin has been down for it but hadn’t really thought about the equipment behind it. Then Allie and Bati had dragged in a project and the screen and Tobin had been amazed.

“Allie. She borrows it,” Tobin used air quotes around the word borrow, “from her school. Sometimes we can’t get the screen and then we just show it against the brick wall. The picture isn’t great but it’s still a fun night.”

“You really do like these nights, huh?”

“Yeah, I think they’re fun.” Tobin responded simply.

They both turned their heads when Christen’s name was called. She nodded at Nima and then turned to Tobin. “Do you want anything?”

Shaking her head, Tobin pointed towards the floor where she had a beer, “I’m good but thanks.”

“Can you save my spot?” Christen asked with a smile and Tobin nodded in response. She didn’t bother mentioning that Mana was supposed to sit there because she already knew that she would gladly give up her seat to the girl she couldn’t stop thinking about.

Christen took a couple of steps before turning around, “are you sure you don’t want anything?”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

*

A movie was playing and that was all Tobin knew for sure. She couldn’t recall the name, didn’t know if it’d been on for two minutes or two hours. Tobin sat stiffly, facing forwards, and eyes locked on the screen. However, all of Tobin’s undivided attention was focused on the girl sitting next to her. A girl who was rendering her stupid, all because her feet were lightly resting against the outer curve of her thigh.

Tobin forced herself to keep her breathing even. She was being ridiculous and knew it. She knew the touch was accidental. Knew, that it didn’t mean anything. Tobin doubted Christen even realized they were touching. If she did, it clearly didn’t both Christen but the skin to skin contact was all Tobin could think about. It stirred a desire in her that she laid dormant for so long.

There was a simple solution. Tobin could move over and put a bit of space between them but she didn’t want to and that thought was almost as shocking as her visceral reaction to the slight touch. It was the sweetest form of torture Tobin had experienced in a long time.

Tobin hadn’t planned to sit next to Christen. She’d planned to sit on the floor and let Mana and Christen shared the couch. She could have handled sitting near Christen. In fact, she would have preferred it. Instead, Mana walked past her and winked before sitting down with some of their teammates.

Feeling guilty, Tobin tried to get Mana to take her place but the tiny brunette refused and selfishly, Tobin caved. She could admit to herself that she wanted this, that she wanted to sit next to Christen, to be close to her.

Clearly, Tobin hadn’t really thought this through because if she had, she might have insisted Mana sit on the couch. The distance would have been better, it would have been better than her potentially embarrassing herself.

Tobin watched Christen out of the corner of her eye as they settled in for the movie. Tobin told herself it was no big deal. They were just friend watching a movie and she believed it, she really had. She believed it when Allie handed her a blanket, despite the questions dancing in her eyes. Tobin believed it, even as she was aware of every movement Christen made. Tobin believed it until there had been skin to skin contact. That was when Tobin knew she’d been wrong. That was when Tobin knew she’d been lying to herself. She was Christen’s friend and well, Tobin wasn’t what Christen was to her.

Even the night was betraying Tobin. The darkness changed things, made the touch feel like some more. The darkness indulged Tobin’s senses, allowed her to breathe in Christen’s sweet scent, allowed her to feel free of judgment and induced whisperings of hope. It was these little moments when Tobin allowed herself to dream. There was no harm in dreaming, right?

A deep sigh from the other end brought Tobin back to the present. Christen kept shifting. Trying to sit up higher, Christen pushed against the couch cushions but her foot slipped and landed in Tobin’s lap.

“Are you okay?” Tobin whispered in concern, her fingers lightly encircling Christen’s ankle. Christen had landed awkwardly against the armrest. In the dim light, Tobin could see a flush spreading across Christen’s cheeks, and unconsciously Tobin stretched her arm along the back of the couch, leaning in. Tobin just managed to restrain herself from brushing the tips of her fingers across Christen’s now rosy cheeks.

For a brief second Tobin swore Christen’s eyes dipped down to her lips but before Tobin could truly register the moment, Christen glanced towards the screen and whispered, “sorry, my neck was starting to hurt.”

“Here,” Tobin said as she reached behind her for a pillow.

Shaking her head Christen leaned forward, her breath ghosting across Tobin’s ear. “I’m not taking your pillow.”

“It’s okay, I’m not using it,” Tobin whispered, angling her head closer.

Christen hesitated for a second before shaking her head again.

“Seriously, I have another one,” Tobin pushed the pillow at Christen, who stared at it for a second before taking it with a shy smile. Leaning in again Christen whispered, “thank you.”

Not trusting herself, Tobin smiled in response as goosebumps broke out along her arms. Noticing, Christen asked, “are you cold?”

Swallowing hard Tobin nodded, she was happily took the out Christen offered, rather than acknowledge that her body was betraying her by responding to Christen’s close proximity. Taking a deep calming breath, Tobin tried to remember the last time she’d reacted so strongly to another person.

Needing space, Tobin scooted back settling against the armrest, protectively crossing her arms over her chest. Tobin kept her eyes glued to the screen. She was too afraid to look at Christen, afraid that Christen would be able to see right through her.

Tobin stayed that way, rigid as a statue, even when Christen scooted closer. Even when they were shoulder to shoulder, Tobin didn’t move. She didn’t look to see if Christen was okay, she couldn’t. It was the surprise of having the blanket draped over her legs that finally made Tobin glance over at Christen.

“Better?” Christen asked, looking up through her eyelashes. Speechless, Tobin inclined her head. Briefly closing her eyes, Tobin knew she needed to get her emotion under control before she did something really embarrassing like hyperventilate all because she was sitting next to her crush. What was she, in high school again?

Annoyed with herself and her inability to act like a rationale adult, Tobin slouched down. Stretching her legs out, Tobin was careful to make sure the blanket didn’t fall. With each passing second, Tobin made herself relax, kept telling herself that it was no big deal and just when she felt comfortable, Christen moved.

This time, Christen angled her body inward and rested her head against Tobin’s shoulder. Completely unprepared Tobin stiffened instantly. Eyes darting to the right to confirm what her body already knew to be true. Christen was pressed against her side. Christen must have felt her stiffen because she asked, “is this okay?”

“Yea,” Tobin managed and then mentally kicked herself. She felt like an ass. It’d been nothing more than a friendly gesture and here she was making it something it wasn’t. Tobin tried to relax but her body was still rigid. If Christen recognized her discomfort she gave no other indication. This calm confidence from Christen settled Tobin and her body slowly thawed. She decided to enjoy the moment, knowing it would be short-lived.

As Tobin’s mind found peace, she became content and allowed herself to enjoy the moment but Christen kept shifting. Her head kept moving from side to side, like she couldn’t get comfortable. Worried that she’d done something Tobin asked, “you alright there?”

Lifting her head Christen straightened. Tobin pushed aside her disappointment, already missing the press of Christen against her. But instead of moving away, Christen just reached behind her and grabbed the pillow.

Tobin raised her eyebrows in question. Smiling Christen propped the pillow against Tobin’s shoulder, “you’re a little bony.” Winking at Tobin’s surprised expression Christen laid her head down again.

“I…I think I’m offended,” Tobin said.

“Don’t be. I’m just sensitive.” Christen said amusement coloring her words.

“What like a princess?” Tobin teased.

“Maybe,” Christen looked up at Tobin with mirth filled eyes as she poked Tobin’s shoulder through the pillow. “It’s no pea but even under a hundred pillows I could still feel your bony shoulder.”

“Shouldn’t it be a hundred mattresses?” Tobin joked, leaning closer to Christen.

“Oh hush,” Christen murmured, lightly swatting at Tobin’s leg, “you know what I meant. Pillow or mattresses, you’re still bony.”

Rolling her eyes, Tobin reached with her left hand for the other pillow, the one wedged between her and the couch. Clutching it, Tobin smiled down at Christen and asked, “is there anything else you want Princess?” Christen shook her head.

“You sure?” Tobin asked, lacing her voice with concern. Eyes focused on the screen, Christen, missed the mischievous grin that slowly spread across Tobin’s lips. “How about another?” Tobin offered as she swatted Christen on the forehead with her pillow.

“Hey!!” Christen hissed, holding her hand up too late and blocking air.

A couple of “shushes” sounded but Christen ignored them, sitting up and glaring at Tobin, who was struggling to keep from laughing out loud.

“I…was…just…trying to help,” Tobin eventually managed to breathe out, barely keeping her voice down.

“Sure, sure,” Christen grumbled as she leaned across Tobin’s chest and reached for the pillow but it was futile. Using her arm length Tobin easily held the pillow away from her body and out of Christen’s reach.

“What are you doing?” Tobin murmured, shoulders shaking with mirth.

“Trying to protect myself,” Christen whispered, her smile betraying her harsh tone.

“Protect yourself? From what? A pea?” Tobin’s chuckle died on her lips when Christen turned towards her. Holding her breath, Tobin’s body finally registered Christen’s proximity. They were close. So, close that Tobin could see the flecks of gold in those mesmerizing green eyes that stared back at her. She couldn’t look away, didn’t want to look away, she was entrapped by the warmth she found in those green depths and knew in that moment she would never get tired of gazing into those depths.

Little spots appeared before Tobin’s vision and somewhere in the back of her head, warning bells sounded. She was conscious that she’d been staring for too long and that she desperately needed air, she needed to breathe. Inhaling then exhaling, she forced herself to look away.

Tobin hoped no one, and by no one, she meant Allie had noticed their little interaction. Allie would have something to say and honestly, she didn’t want to hear it. She was confused as it was, she didn’t need Allie asking questions she didn’t want to answer.

Inhaling again, Tobin instinctively went to push her hair back, a nervous trait, when on her exhale she realized Christen hadn’t moved. In fact, Christen’s hand was braced against the couch armrest, her body was still stretched across Tobin’s, effectively confining her where she was.

Tobin was lost. She couldn’t remember how they got here, couldn’t remember what they’d been doing, but she thought they’d been joking around, something having to do with a pea and a pillow. Desperately trying to regain cognitive thoughts, Tobin turned confused eyes in search of answers. Her gaze landed on clear soft green ones that were clearly unbothered by what was going on.

Tobin felt completely off balance. She hated that she kept reminding herself that Christen was just being friendly because it was starting to feel like something more. Under different circumstances, with a different girl, it would most likely be more. Needing a reprieve, Tobin reluctantly lowered her eyes but realized her mistake a second too late as Christen’s plump lips came into focus.

They looked soft and inviting and Tobin knew all she had to do was lean forward and their lips would touch. That thought sent a jolt of lighting through her body, forcing Tobin back as far as the couch cushions would allow her. What bothered Tobin the most was the way she’d briefly entertained the idea. She’d wanted to know if they were as soft as they looked. Tapping into a willpower, she didn’t know she possessed, Tobin remained stationary and calm and was proud of herself for not reaching out no matter how much she wanted to.

“I’ll take this, thanks,” Christen whispered and before Tobin could react, she pulled the pillow from Tobin’s side. Grinning Christen fell back into her spot, obviously pleased with herself.

Tobin studied her and thought she was glad Christen hadn’t noticed her odd behavior she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that Christen didn’t seem bothered at all. There was no indication that her heart was pounding like Tobin’s currently was. It was as if nothing special happened. That’s because nothing special did happen, Tobin reminded herself.

Exhaling Christen took the pillow she’d just stolen and placed it on top of her original one. Satisfied with the addition Christen whispered,  **“** now sit still, so I can enjoy the movie.” After a slight pause, she added “please.”

“Yes, you’re highness.” Tobin mumbled.

Then a gust of wind blew through and Tobin felt Christen shiver against her. Tobin wasn’t cold but reaching for the blanket, she pulled it up with one hand and tried to tuck it around Christen. It would’ve been an easier task if she used both of her hands but that would have required moving the shoulder Christen was leaning against and Tobin wouldn’t doing that for anything.

It took a minute before Christen realized what was happening and using the hand not pressed against Tobin’s side, took an edge of the blanket to help. Once they had the blanket wrapped around them, Tobin angled her head down and asked, “better?”

Titling her head up, Christen smiled, “yeah.” Then wriggling Christen snuggled more into Tobin’s side. The movement was like an open invitation and before Tobin could stop herself, convincing herself that it was wrong, she gave into one of her impulses by resting her head on top of Christen’s.

Tobin didn’t ask if it was okay, didn’t want to chance Christen asking her to move. Tobin knew there would be consequences later. Later when she was alone, when these few moments of connectivity with another human being weren’t enough, when her loneliness would threaten to suffocate her.

Tobin thought she could feel curious stares on her but she didn’t care. She knew this night would lead to millions of questions, questions about herself, about Christen but right then, Tobin just wanted to focus on the here and now. For in this moment, she was content to just sit next to Christen and dream.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Questions, comments, concerns? You can find me on tumblr ~ Urbanrebel6


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